Stewart Cink is experienced and wise enough to know who the best golfer ever is and while he’s under no illusions that Tiger Woods is the greatest he’s ever seen, picking a top five without Woods proved a touch more difficult.
As we know, naming the best golfers ever is subjective and many who have done so are from different eras and with different experiences to call upon.
Jack Nicklaus picked Tiger on his own Mount Rushmore, while unsurprisingly, Tiger Woods opted for himself alongside Nicklaus, Bobby Jones and Sam Snead.
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Of course, at 51-years-old, major winner Stewart Cink is well placed to give his opinion the best to ever do it.
And back in 2021, Cink had a go at naming his best ever golfers…without including Tiger.
Stewart Cink’s top five golfers without naming Tiger Woods
Speaking to Golf TV back in 2021, Cink was asked to name his top five and he immediately jumped in and said Tiger Woods was without doubt the best ever.
However, he then challenged himself to pick a top five without using Woods.
At number five, Cink went with Phil Mickelson, admitting the American sometimes did things that ‘left him scratching his head’.
At number four was Rory McIlroy, with Cink suggesting McIlroy’s power despite not being the biggest in terms of body is something impressive to behold.
Picking his number three, he went more conventional with Davis Love III. Speaking about his fellow American, Cink said he credits his former Ryder Cup partner with being ahead of his time in terms of the way he played.
For number two, Cink surprisingly went with Jon Rahm and admitted that he is the player he tells his kids to go and watch if they have the chance, such is how much he’s impressed by the Spaniard.
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Stewart Cink’s number one golfer
Finally, at number one, Cink went with former Ryder Cup skipper, Paul Azinger.
Speaking on Azinger, Cink suggested he had a ‘weird’ grip and a unique golf swing but touched on his recovery from cancer as the biggest win of his career.
Cink admitted that he hadn’t played with Azinger too much in his prime but he greatly admired the heart he showed in his recovery from illness.
Azinger won 12 times on the PGA Tour in his career, albeit he never won a major in what many will consider one of golf’s big shames.
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