Cologuard Classic: Stewart Cink trails Greg Chalmers by a shot entering final round

Is it better to be chased or be the chaser? Depends on who you are. 

After shooting 6 under on Saturday, Stewart Cink ascended the Cologuard Classic leaderboard at La Paloma Country Club on Saturday and enters the final round of play at 10 under, trailing leader Greg Chalmers by a shot.

Chalmers heads into the final round on Sunday at 11 under after firing a 67 on Saturday.

In last year's Cologuard Classic, Cink was the leader after two rounds, but frittered away a four-stroke lead and lost to champion Joe Durant. 

Cink doesn't have a preference to be the leader or be within striking distance entering the final round.  

"I mean, it's its own challenge to be the leader with one round to play," Cink said on Saturday. "I think everybody in this field's felt that. If you're the chaser, then you've got to gain ground. It's hard to do against these guys. I'm not sure I have a preferred place to be, but this is, in a way, kind of new territory for me being a little behind going into Sunday but also within reach."

The biggest lesson Cink learned from last year's final round, which had a series of mis-hits off the tee and near greens: "Just staying in the present," he said.

"I think I got a little ahead of myself last year," Cink said. "If I had to look back and analyze it with honesty, probably was a little ahead of myself and just a little lazy on a couple of shots. This course, it's a pretty short course but it has trouble everywhere. As soon as you get a little lazy and hit it offline, you've got wind and there's cactus and desert and it's just waiting for you. So you really need to be committed and sharp. You need to be aggressive but you need to also pick smart targets."

Cink had eight birdies on Saturday, before he bogeyed on No. 15 and No. 18. 

"I think this course is kind of a puzzle where you've got to figure out how far the ball's going to go," Cink said. "You have a lot of factors to deal with, a lot of math. That's one thing that me and my caddie, Chris, are pretty strong at, I think, is figuring out like the distance the ball's going to go."

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Chalmers, after shooting 7 under 64 on Friday, is 11 under and "felt really good" on Saturday. Chalmers had six birdies through the first 10 holes, but bogeyed on No. 16, the second bogey of his Saturday round. 

"I'm really pleased with 4 under, I thought that was a really nice score particularly when you have a one- or two-shot lead going into this kind of day," Chalmers said. "I have a one-shot lead going into tomorrow now. Some of that may be relatively new territory for me, I don't think I've done that before, certainly not on the Champions Tour.

"I really felt pleased with how I conducted myself today and the shots I chose and predominantly how I executed. I'm looking forward to tomorrow. There's a few guys with a chance to have a good day and see if they can't have a win, so great to be part of that mix.

Added Chalmers: "I'd love to be one of those players that can lead and just run away with it, but we'll find out tomorrow and see how it goes. There's a long way to go."

Chalmers and Cink will be matched up with Alex Cejka for the final round Sunday afternoon. Cejka shot 8 under 63 on Saturday, the best score of the day. Cejka (-9) is tied for third with Ernie Els. Cejka climbed 19 spots on the leaderboard on Saturday.

Chip shots

• After rainy and windy conditions on Friday, the weather cleared up on Saturday and had temperatures in the low-to-mid 60s. The forecast for Sunday is sunny and a high of 74 degrees.  
• Cologuard ambassador Jerry Kelly was forced to withdraw from the Cologuard Classic on Saturday due to a shoulder injury. 

Photos: 2025 Cologuard Classic, round 2