Stewart Cink watches his drive on the 16th hole Friday during the second round of the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Cink shot an 8-under 63 for the second day in a row and built a five-stroke lead. Stephen B. Morton/Associated Press
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Two-time champion Stewart Cink moved into position for a third RBC Heritage title, shooting a second straight 63 to set the 36-hole scoring mark at Harbour Town.
Cink, 47, appears unstoppable after two amazing days. He sits at 16-under 126, five shots ahead of Corey Conners. The previous best midway score was 129, set by Jack Nicklaus en route to victory in 1975 and matched by Phil Mickelson, who wound up third in 2002.
Conners shot 64 and was 11 under. Emiliano Grillo (64) was another shot behind.
Fourth-ranked Collin Morikawa, preparing to defend his PGA Championship title next month, was tied for fourth at 9-under with Sungjae Im (65), Billy Horschel (67) and Cameron Smith, who followed his opening-round 62 with a 71.
Cink was hardly overwhelmed by the scores he posted, chalking them up to smart preparation and strong execution alongside his 24-year-old son, Reagan, who’s caddying for him.
“It doesn’t feel all that special, to be honest with you,” Cink said. “We just kind of worked our game plan.”
It was certainly unexpected. Cink hasn’t finished in the top 20 at Harbour Town in a decade, hadn’t led halfway since the Travelers Championship in 2008, and is closer to the PGA Tour Champions than his prime.
Yet Cink has had a renaissance on golf’s biggest stage this season. He won for the first time in 11 years at the Safeway Open in September and has added five top-20 finishes, including a tie for 12th last week at the Masters.
The veteran is two solid rounds away from adding a third plaid jacket to the two he earned in 2000 and 2004. In both of those wins, Cink came from behind on Sunday. This time he’ll need to just maintain his strong overall play.
EUROPEAN TOUR: Alejandro Canizares overcame a slow start to card a 2-under 70 and keep his one-stroke lead after the second round of the Austrian Open in Atzenbrugg, Austria.
The Spaniard was 7 under overall. Former top-ranked Martin Kaymer (70) and John Catlin (70) shared second place.
Both Canizares and Kaymer are after their first win in seven years. Catlin won twice last year.
CHAMPIONS TOUR: Fred Couples didn’t miss a fairway, setting up wedges or short irons into most of the holes, and shot a 9-under 63 to take a two-stroke lead after the opening round of the Chubb Classic in Naples, Florida.
Bernhard Langer shot a 65. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker was among those another shot behind.
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