Stewart Cink shares the Portugal Invitational lead with Pádraig Harrington and Rory Sabbatini after shooting an 8-under 64 in Saturday’s second round at The Els Club Vilamoura.

The three players are tied at 13-under 131 entering Sunday’s final round of the inaugural PGA Tour Champions event. First-round leader Zach Johnson sits one stroke behind after following his opening 64 with a 68.

Cink produced the lowest round of the day after playing his first five holes in 6-under. The 53-year-old made four birdies and an eagle during that stretch, but the fast start presented an unusual challenge.

“I’ve never had a start like that,” Cink said after his round. “You can say you’ve got to be ready to be 6-under through five and 6-over through 5. You can say that all you want, but when it really happens, it threw me just a little.”

Cink recovered from a bogey and made another eagle at the short par-four 12th. His rounds of 67 and 64 have put him in position to claim his fifth victory of the season and ninth PGA Tour Champions title.

Cink Chases a Fifth Win

Cink has already won the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, Hoag Classic, Senior PGA Championship and Regions Tradition in 2026. Another victory would make him the first player to win five PGA Tour Champions events in one season since Steve Stricker collected six titles in 2023.

The reigning Charles Schwab Cup champion has led this season’s standings for all 16 weeks. He has also finished inside the top-10 in 13 of his past 14 starts.

Sunday will be Cink’s fifth appearance in the final group this season. He won three of the previous four tournaments, with his only defeat coming when he finished second at the US Senior Open.

Stewart Cink couldn’t have asked for a better start in round two of the Portugal Invitational.

After opening 6-under through five holes, he admitted even he was caught a little off guard.

Now, he enters the final round tied for the lead in search of his fifth PGA TOUR… pic.twitter.com/itWKRqbONJ

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) August 1, 2026

Harrington and Sabbatini Share the Lead

Harrington followed an opening 66 with a 65 as he pursues his second victory of 2026. The Irishman won the US Senior Open in July and has converted nine of his previous 13 final-round leads or co-leads on PGA Tour Champions.

The venue also carries good memories for Harrington. He won the 2016 Portugal Masters on the same property before Ernie Els redesigned the former Dom Pedro Victoria course.

Sabbatini reached 13-under with rounds of 65 and 66. The 50-year-old rookie is seeking his first PGA Tour Champions title in his 10th start and will begin the final round as a leader or co-leader for the first time.

Johnson remains in contention. A fourth victory of his rookie season would match Cink’s current total and make him the first PGA Tour Champions newcomer to win four times since Harrington in 2022.

Tim O’Neal and Mikael Lundberg share fifth place at 10-under. Johnson will play alongside them at 10:44 a.m. UTC, with Cink, Harrington and Sabbatini following at 10:55 a.m.

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