Tag: Reagan Cink

Father-son caddie duo of Stewart and Reagan Cink calls it a day; veteran looper John Wood filling in for Napa

“He threw in his Jani-King towel,” Stewart Cink said of son Reagan.

NAPA, Calif. – As Stewart Cink made his way to the practice tee at the Fortinet Championship, he confirmed a change to begin the 2022-23 PGA Tour season – son Reagan is off the bag.

“He threw in his Jani-King towel,” Stewart Cink cracked.

It was here at Silverado Resort’s North Course that son Reagan subbed as his dad’s caddie at the 2020 edition of the tournament formerly known as the Safeway Open and guided his old man to his first victory in more than nine years. A few tournaments later, at the RSM Classic that November, they made it official as a permanent relationship. At the time, Reagan, an industrial engineering graduate of Georgia Tech, put on hold a technology product management job with Delta Airlines.

The caddie gig began on a lark when Reagan, who had been living at home with his parents during COVID-19, told his dad he’d like to caddie for him at an event.

“I said, ‘How about the Safeway?’” Stewart recalled.

Fortinet: Tee times and TV info | PGA Tour on ESPN+ | Yardage book

He credited his son with being a calming influence, as at age 47, he shot a final-round 7-under 65 to win the tournament by two strokes over Harry Higgs.

“He’s a great caddie, he’s doing a great job, but I don’t think I want him to become a caddie,” Stewart said at the time. “He’s just a little bit too good at doing this to where I think if he keeps going, he might find a home out here.”

The duo went on to win again at the 2021 RBC Heritage, but this is Cink’s first start at the Fortinet as he missed his title defense to attend Reagan’s wedding last year. Cink, who will turn 50 in May and become PGA Tour Champions eligible, said he wasn’t sure what was next for his son.

“It’s changing on a daily basis,” he said.

And who will be on the bag this week?

Veteran caddie turned NBC/Golf Channel analyst John Wood, who last caddied for Cameron Champ 18 months ago, is hoping to repeat the magic at Silverado as a one-week wonder on the bag. But first Stewart made him walk on a treadmill to make sure the retired caddie could still handle lugging a bag.

Stewart Cink practices ahead of the 2022 Fortinet Championship with fill-in caddie John Wood. (Adam Schupak/Golfweek)

“I was going to ask if he needed all 20 of those tees in there,” quipped Wood, a Northern California native who has caddied for the likes of Kevin Sutherland, Hunter Mahan and Matt Kuchar.

Asked if he’s settled on a permanent replacement for his son, Stewart said, “I’ve got a couple of guys in mind.”

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Stewart Cink hires son, Reagan, as permanent caddie ahead of RSM Classic

The 47-year-old Cink finished first-T12-T4 in his first three starts with son Reagan looping for him.

ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Stewart Cink made it official. Son Reagan, who was on the bag for his first victory in more than nine years at the Safeway Open in September, is permanently taking over his dad’s bag – at least for next 12 months, anyway.

This all began on a lark earlier this summer when Reagan, who has been living at home with his parents during COVID-19 after graduating from Georgia Tech to save money for his upcoming wedding, told his dad he’d like to caddie for him at an event.

“I said, ‘How about the Safeway?’” Stewart recalled.

He credited his son with being a calming influence, as at age 47, he shot a final-round 7-under 65 to win the tournament in Napa, California, by two strokes over Harry Higgs. It was the PGA Tour’s feel-good moment since the resumption of play in June.

A taste of success had Reagan happy to resume duties during the next event, the Sanderson Farms Championship, and they shot another Sunday 65 to finish T-12. But father knows best and Stewart suggested it was time for son to return to the real world and put his industrial engineering from Georgia Tech to work as a member of the technology product management team at Delta Airlines.

“He’s a great caddie, he’s doing a great job, but I don’t think I want him to become a caddie,” Stewart said at the time. “He’s just a little bit too good at doing this to where I think if he keeps going, he might find a home out here.”

Stewart played the following week in Las Vegas and shot a final-round 81 to drop to T-64 with regular caddie, Kip Henley, on the bag. After a few weeks off, Reagan got the call to the bullpen to caddie at the Bermuda Championship and father and son teamed to finish T-4 with a Sunday 64. Stewart couldn’t ignore the results with his son on the bag.

“We didn’t have to leave until Monday so we were kind of sitting around the room with nothing to do. Reagan was there and he caddied, and my wife was there, all sitting around. Probably like sort of how nothing good happens with idle time and idle hands, we all sat around and said, ‘Hey, this has been really fun. You’re supposed to go back to work next week, but maybe this is the right time for you to push work back for a year. I like you caddying and I think you’re having a good time and you’re good at it, and it’s nice to spend time with our son,’” Stewart recalled.

“He got it worked out with Delta Airlines that he was going to be able to just sort of push his job back. He’ll go to work next year after he gets married in July and he’ll caddie the rest of this season. So, a change for us, but something I’m really looking forward to and I think he is, too.”

Father and son missed the cut at the Vivint Houston Open, but Stewart pointed out that it is more than mere coincidence that he’s played well with his son by his side. He’s contributed more than simply adhering to the caddie mantra of show up, keep up and shut up.

“He’s not just a guest caddie, he’s not just a family member out there carrying the bag. He understands golf really well and he understands me and he’s been a real asset to me in maybe like a little bit of an intangible kind of way,” Stewart said. “I just feel really calm out there with him. I know that when he’s standing across with the bag and after we’ve made our decision, I know that he has like full trust and 100 percent confidence that I’m going to be able to do what we just talked about doing.

“That’s just a big asset, to know that your caddie is just really behind you and believes in you and also has that sort of unconditional relationship with you that if it goes great, it goes great, if it doesn’t, then hey, we’re still father and son. I think that’s been a real big asset and it’s helped me to be calm and to be confident and really to just be myself.”

Stewart also noted that Reagan may give up the bag at some point to his older brother, Connor.

“We’ve already discussed that,” Stewart said. “I don’t know where it’s going to be yet, but he’ll come out and caddie.”

But this week at Sea Island, Stewart will look to add to his early-season haul with Reagan toting his bag. Asked what young player he’d suggest one of his boys try to caddie for to make a good living on Tour, Stewart said, “I don’t know that I would want either of my kids to be on the bag of any other player because they’re both too big of an asset. There’s enough disadvantage I have, I don’t want to give anybody else more advantage.”

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Stewart Cink & son taste some success at Sanderson Farms Championship

With his son Reagan on the bag, Stewart Cink records another top-10 finish in the 2020-21 Tour season at the Sanderson Farms Championship.

JACKSON, Miss. – Stewart Cink told a reporter before the final round that he was going to have “shoot the fur off the course” on Sunday, or else that would be the end of his run with son, Reagan, by his side as his caddie. Then Cink went out and made eight birdies en route to shooting 7-under 65

“Left a little fur on the course,” Cink said. “It was a Top 5 thing. I don’t want Reagan to – he’s a great caddie, he’s doing a great job, but I don’t think I want him to become a caddie. He’s just a little bit too good at doing this to where I think if he keeps going, he might find a home out here.”

Father and son teamed up two weeks ago at the Safeway Open in Napa, California, for Cink’s first victory in more than 11 years, which earned Reagan another start on the bag this week. Somewhere, veteran caddie Kip Henley, who has been Cink’s regular sidekick since the Sanderson Farms Championship last year, was sweating it out as Cink poured in four birdies and one bogey on his first nine holes on Sunday and then tacked on four more birdies on the inward nine. As Cink tapped in for 65, he looked at the scoreboard and he was currently in a share of fifth. (He has since dropped back to T-8 at 13-under 275.)

Sanderson Farms: Leaderboard | Photos

“If you had done it today, Top 5, I would have been super excited about getting out for next week,” Reagan said.

“Same here,” Stewart said.

“I’ve got a life to go get home and live,” Reagan said.

That includes a fiancé back in Atlanta and a job at Delta Airlines. Reagan graduated with a degree in industrial engineering from Georgia Tech and is ready to get back to his role on the technology product management team. If it sounds as challenging as reading putts at the Country Club of Jackson, it probably is. Cink may have finished in the top 5 this week had his putter not gone cold on the weekend, especially in the third round when he lost nearly three strokes to the field with his short stick.

Stewart Cink during the third round of the 2020 Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

“I concluded after yesterday that I kind of struggle on Bermuda greens a little bit,” Reagan said. “But I don’t think it was solely my fault.”

Don’t be surprised if Reagan as well as brother, Connor, don’t make guest appearances on the bag in the future. Reagan first caddied for dad at the 2013 RBC Canadian Open and also filled in at the 2015 Travelers Championship and 2016 John Deere Classic.

“Took a little hiatus,” Reagan said. “Had to mature a little bit.”

It was in August when Reagan expressed an interest in caddying for his dad at a tournament again.

“I said, ‘How about Safeway?’ ” Cink recalled.

“He did some things that really, really helped me and just — we know each other so well. He’s like a chunk out of my side that grew into a person,” Cink said. “We see shots the same way, feel the same things, and it was good to have him caddying for me. We had a good couple weeks.”

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