Steve Stricker, a genuinely nice guy, has been one of the best and most consistent players this year. Still, five months into the season he was without a W, his last win coming at the 2007 Barclays. It looked like the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial would extend his winless streak after he missed a short putt to bogey the 70th hole. But then the golf gods intervened, giving Stricker new life. First he holed a pitch shot after overshooting the green on 17 for a birdie.
He then parred 18 and waited for Tim Clark to complete his round. Clark, a putting challenged non winner on tour, did what winless players often do when he hooked his drive into the trees on 18. After punching out into the fairway, Clark pitched 15 past, then missed to within six feet, then yanked a simple putt with his long putter that would have won the tournament.
So off went Stricker, Clark, and Steve Marino on a three man sudden death playoff. All made routine pars on 18, Clark yanking his six footer, so they headed back to the tree lined 17th. Marino hit his drive in the trees and went on to make bogey. Stricker, who had birdied the hole three of four times in regulation, stuffed his second to within four feet of the cup.
Unfazed, Clark drilled his second right at the flag. But the ball hit about four feet up the pole and bounded about 20 feet from the hole. After he missed, Stricker coolly rolled in his putt to capture his fifth tour title. Besides the $1.116 million, Sticker earned the right to shave off his rather unsightly attempt at growing a beard.
It is easy to say that we should have seen Stricker’s win coming. In 11 events leading up to the Colonial he had finished in the top 25 in nine of them while missing two cuts. He had also registered six top sevens with finishes of 3t, 2, 4t, 6t, and 7t. The Colonial now gives him seven top sevens in 12 starts.
More importantly, he’s got momentum going as he attempts to win his first major. He came close at the 1998 PGA, finishing solo second, two back of Vijay Singh. He’s got another eight top tens in the majors, including a 6t at this year’s Masters.
And he’s got game. For a long time Stricker has been known mostly for his putting, but his new compact swing has enabled him to hit 69.65% of the greens in regulation this year, ninth best on tour. He’s also 11th in holes played under par, which indicates quality ball striking and deadly putting.
While Stricker has had issues with closing out tournaments in which he has contended, his clutch play this week could help him in that department. He finished a credible 16t at Bethpage in 2002. And though, at 42, he’s seven years older, he’s arguably better than ever. Indeed, after winning the PGA Tour’s Comeback Player of the year in 2006 and 2007, Stricker is all the way back and then some.
So, all things considered, Steve Stricker, Mr. Nice Guy, has earned his place on the watch list for this year’s US Open in three weeks.
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3 responses so far ↓
1 BD // Jun 1, 2009 at 4:49 am
I only saw the 72nd hole and the playoff, but I was happy to see Stricker emerge as champion. And I still sort of marvel over the fact that Strick was the Comeback Player of the Year in two consecutive years, with all that that implies.
2 MikeZ // Jun 4, 2009 at 10:39 am
Yes, it was nice to see Strick in the winner’s circle again — especially by making a birdie to win. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Steve on several occasions and can attest that he’s truly one of the nice guys. It breaks my heart to watch him struggle in those clutch situations, and I’ve often suspected that the pressure he puts on himself has more to do with not letting down the people who have loved and supported him over the years than it does with winning for himself. Maybe this win will get him over the hump and he’ll bag a few more wins (and, dare I say, maybe a Major?) before he retires to Wisconsin.
An interesting note about the “comeback” thing … I picked up a copy of John Feinstein’s “The Majors” (chronicling the 1998 season’s major tournaments), in which the authors labels Stricker “Comeback Player of the Year” (unofficially) for coming back (at least a little) from his disastrous 1997 season. Nobody knew at the time that his “true” comeback(s) was still nearly a decade away!?
(And speaking of comebacks, did anyone see David Duvall at the top of the Memorial leaderboard this morning? He briefly made it to -5 before fading to -1. That would be some comeback, wouldn’t it?)
3 Paul // Jun 21, 2009 at 1:42 am
Steve is one of the most talented golfers in the sport today. It never surprises me when he shoots a round in the low 60’s–many times besting the field by a few strokes.
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