PHOENIX — It'll be a two-man race for the 2026 Charles Schwab Cup, and it could be best described as a friendly competition. That's because the two men involved, the only two mathematically alive to win it, are best buds.

Stewart Cink, the defending Cup champion with five wins this season, is going mano a mano with Champions tour rookie Zach Johnson, second in points but first in wins with six.

Competitors till the end, the two are close off the golf course as well.

"He's legitimately one of my best friends in the world," Johnson said of Cink on Tuesday ahead of his practice round at Phoenix Country Club. "I would say the family is as well. The fact that one of us will hold it [the trophy] and the other one, I'm telling you, I'll be the first one to give him a hug if I don't win it."

Cink tried to downplay the concept of this being just a two-man competition.

"We're playing against a lot more than each other, me and Zach. There's 34 other players that are very capable here in this field," he said. "It's going to be a lot of fun. This is what you really play golf for."

They say it's difficult to win, but more difficult to repeat but that's what Cink, the defending Schwab tournament and season-long Schwab points champion, faces this week.

"I feel a little bit more pressure because I'm in the reverse scenario from what I was last year. Last year I was Zach," I was like 'win and I win,' but otherwise I wasn't going to win this thing [the points title]. So I was very focused on one thing," Cink said, meaning a year ago he came into this as the No. 2 seed. "As the frontrunner, you feel a little bit more pressure. That's just the way it is in this game."

But ultimately Cink echoed Johnson's friendly sentiment.

"If Zach wins, then I'm going to high five him and hug him and be very proud of him, and if I win, I'm sure he'll do the same thing for me," Cink said.

And now it comes down to this: 72 holes (the only tournament aside from the majors with 72 holes) over four days to determine the 2026 champion. There's a tournament trophy to be won as well, and Cink a year ago became just the third to win both trophies since 2003. But there will also be some friendly bragging rights Sunday night and beyond.

Tale of the tape: Zach Johnson vs. Stewart Cink in 2026

This chart compares the tournaments that both golfers competed in during the 2026 PGA Tour Champions season:

Johnson won six times overall in 2026, four when Cink was also in the field. Cink won four times overall, twice when Johnson was also in the same event. They competed in the same tournament 14 times with Johnson finishing higher eight times and Cink doing so five times. They also tied twice. Some more stats:

What Zach Johnson, Stewart Cink need to do to win the Cup