'50 Cink' still celebrating biggest win

[July 23, 2009]  ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) -- Stewart Cink came home to show off his latest trophy and new nickname.

Cink, a former Georgia Tech golfer who lives near Atlanta in Duluth, Wednesday talked about his British Open championship after returning to Atlanta.

The biggest win in Cink's career was not popular with golf fans who were pulling for 59-year-old Tom Watson.

Cink tied Watson, the five-time Open champion, with what he called "the biggest putt of my career by far" on the 18th hole of the final round on Sunday. Cink defeated Watson in a four-hole playoff by six strokes for his first major victory.

After spoiling Watson's fairy-tale ending, Cink was roasted in some local newspapers.

The Scottish Sun called him "Stewart Stink." The Telegraph referred to him as "the giant ogre in a children's story," and "the Shrek of Turnberry."

Even so, the claret jug awarded to Open champions belongs to Cink for a year.

He said he has used the claret jug for more than the celebratory pint of Guinness he poured in after his victory.

Cink drank champagne from the trophy with friends in Atlanta on Tuesday night, shared pictures of it with his Twitter followers and joked that he had trouble deciding which cup to use for his morning glass of orange juice.

He said he has also let his children drink water and Coca-Cola from the jug.

"It's not going to see a lot of case time," Cink said.

Cink flew from New York to Atlanta Tuesday night in time to watch his appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. Cink said he hopes his visit with Letterman will help earn him a new nickname he would prefer to "ogre" or "Shrek."

Item No. 3 on Letterman's Top 10 list, read by Cink, was the suggested nickname: 50 Cink, a reference to rapper 50 Cent.

"I'm hoping that one sticks," Cink said. "Tiger (Woods) calls me 'Kitchen' and he thinks he came up with it."

Of all the congratulatory calls and e-mails Cink received, the NHL fan said he was most excited about messages from his favorite hometown team.

Cink said the messages from Atlanta Thrashers players were the ones he had to show off.

"When I got those messages, I had to show all my family," Cink said. "That was an extreme cool factor."

Cink said he also received messages from Jack Nicklaus and Andy Roddick.

Cink is the second former Georgia Tech player to win the British Open this decade. David Duval won the tournament in 2001.

Cink has six career PGA Tour wins, but this was his first win in a major.

[Associated Press]

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