The Open Championship, St Andrews, 15-18 July
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Cink is keen to keep the title he won at Turberry last year

By Thomas McGuigan BBC Sport Scotland at St Andrews

Current Open champion Stewart Cink, by his own admission, isn't a household name on this side of the Atlantic.

His play-off victory over Tom Watson at Turnberry last year saw him get his hands on the prized Claret Jug.

The majority of golf fans were rooting for the veteran Watson in the evening sun, but it was Cink who showed the required mettle to triumph.

And the likeable 37-year-old American revealed that the Jug had endured an eventful year-long stay in the Cink household.

"I reserved the right to put Guinness in it first, that's my beer of choice, not that I drink a lot of beer," he told journalists as the rain hammered down on the roof of the media tent.

"The kids drank Coke from it' we basted some BBQ with it and we had some wine with it.

"This is probably to do with Twitter. I publicised it a lot and people knew what we were doing with it. I enjoyed having it and now understand the level of interest it draws.

"We definitely put it to good use and it was an honour to be in possession of it," he said.

Cink, who turned pro in 1995, has more than 1.2m followers on the social networking site and it's clear that he enjoys a good rapport with his growing number of fans.

His latest entry reads: "Champions dinner last night was very special, It's only held at St Andrews (every five years). Only bad part: returning the Jug."

The four-time Ryder Cup player knows Watson would've been the fans' choice last year, but that hasn't detracted from his success.

"In no way has it taken anything away from my victory. The joy of being Open champion has almost been indescribable," he said.

"I don't feel sorry for Tom. He's got five Claret Jugs; I only have one."

Turning his attention to defending his Open title, Cink looked heaven-ward as the rain and wind lashed the media tent.

"On the opening nine holes you are heading down wind and it's like a dream," he said.

"Every shot you hit, no matter how bad, always has a nice draw.

"I played four holes and decided to turn around. As soon as we hit 14 it was the exact opposite and you couldn't do anything but hit a huge slice.

"It's hard to describe how difficult it is. The golf ball doesn't travel at all when the weather is like this. I'd say par on way out on a day like today is 34, back in it's 40."

The reigning champion will play alongside England's Ian Poulter and former champion Ernie Els in the opening two rounds..

"I don't play golf to get credit from external sources, the only thing I need is the satisfaction of winning," he said.

"My life didn't change winning the Open. But the crowd reaction did. I went from being the guy who didn't get any attention playing alongside Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, to suddenly getting plenty of shouts and fans wanting to high-five me between holes.

"I like that and it's really cool for my confidence.

"There's a slim chance that I will win this week. But, if I don't win, I won't just fade back to where I was before.

"They'll never be able to take my Open win away from me. The vision of me and Tom Watson playing last year will be fresh in everyone's minds for a long time.

"They may remember him more because of his unique position, but I don't think I'll fade totally from their minds either."

If the towering American finds his best form on the rain-lashed Fife coast, you wouldn't bet against that famous Claret Jug appearing at another Cink BBQ.

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