JACKSONVILLE FL – Steve Stricker has been compared to Tiger more than once for his performance on the PGA Tour Champions over the past 12 months.
Let’s not be so naive, because Stricker is not.
Stricker’s last year is seen with a healthy amount of perspective, perhaps because he knows the context of the Champions Tour (the courses aren’t too long and the 54-hole events have no cut).
Is he a more talented player today, for example, after nine victories and 19 top-10 finishes in a row (currently the longest streak of Champions history), than he was when he played on the PGA Tour.
He said, “I don’t think so,” on Wednesday following his participation in the Constellation furyk & friends Pro-Am held at the Timuquana Country Club. “All of us tend to lose our skills over time.” “I’m not as good a chipper or putter as I used to be when I played full-time on the PGA Tour.”
It’s still mind-blowing what he’s done since he took the Furyk & Friends title in his last appearance last season, whether on the Champions Tour or PGA Tour.
Stricker has been ‘driven’
Stricker, who will begin his title defence on Friday with Jim Furyk as the tournament host and Davis Love III in a group of three players, is aiming to become eighth player in Champions Tour history to win seven times or more in one season.
Furyk won the 2022 Furyk & Friends by two shots over Harrison Frazar, ending a hot streak in which he had won three tournaments and placed third in four.
Stricker chose not to participate in the 2022 Schwab Cup Playoffs, but still placed third. Stricker was pulled away by the hunting season and his family (such as caddying in the Wisconsin State High School Championship for his daughter) – perhaps understandable, because it had been a tough year. He did not play again until May 2022 due to an illness which remains a mystery. Once he recovered he played in 12 of his last 17 tournaments.
Stricker, who is in perfect health, began his 2023 season with the Mitsubishi Electric Championship. Since then, it’s been a one man race: six victories and three Champions majors, including the Regions Tradition, Senior PGA, and Kaulig Championship (which earned him a place in the 2024 players championship) as well as nearly $4 million, a record for a single season.
Stricker’s fifth win in eight starts came when he successfully defended his title in the Sanford International, last month. His worst performances are two ties for 8th.
Despite Stricker’s mild manner, Furyk claimed that there is an inner fire which burns deeply and has resulted with 17 PGA Tour Champions title, along with 12 PGA Tour wins.
Furyk stated that Furyk is still very motivated, works hard at his game and has maintained himself in good shape. He has no weaknesses. He has power, accuracy and a very good short-game. His strength is the fact that he does not have any weaknesses.
Mike Weir called Stricker’s race “incredible.”
Weir stated that “he’s dominated the year.”
Langer is the only one who can catch him
Stricker plans to finish the Schwab Cup as well. With two regular season tournaments left, he has a $2,065,705 lead over the second-place Bernhard Langer. Stricker has tentatively announced that he will be playing the first Schwab Cup Playoff in Richmond, Virginia and then the Schwab Cup Championship, in Phoenix from Nov. 9-12.
If Langer does not finish in the top 10 and he wins, it could be over.
Stricker’s wins and top-10s are a good indicator of his success. Statistics can reveal the underlying factors.
- Stricker is the leader in scoring (67.35), in birdies per round (5.18) in eagles (11) and in putts to greens within regulation (1.681).
- He is hitting fairways enough (14th in the Champions Tour with 73.1 percent), he’s second in greens that are in regulation (77.7), and he’s fifth in avoiding three-putts.
- Stricker is a master at scrambling. He leads the Tour for making par when he misses a green in regulation.
It’s not a good idea to show off.
He said, in his usual understated manner: “You add up those two stats [greens in regulations and scrambling] to get some pretty good scores.”
Stricker having fun
Weir said Stricker’s short game is among the best in the PGA Tour right now.
Weir commented, “How well he wedges and putsts the ball. All those little things on the greens.” Jordan Spieth is one example.
Stricker stated that it comes down to enjoying yourself.
He said, “I didn’t get this many chances on the regular Tour.” You get used to the situation, you become more comfortable and it is fun to see how you do the shots on the final stretch.
Only Langer has a chance to catch him in the Schwab Cup.
He said, “If I play well and follow my own game plan, I might have a chance to be in contention on the last day.” “There’s always something we can improve, but my putting and short game have been good, so I can scrape through some rounds even when I don’t do well.
It would be newsworthy if Stricker were to suffer this fate in the next week.
