In Los Angeles at the Northern Trust Open on Sunday, an emotional Steve Stricker took the victory. In a tournament of very safe play for the pro, he managed to avoid risky shots and overconfidence. Stricker was the favorite to win the tournament, and surprisingly didn't display any of his fairly reckless golfing, but instead took it slow and steady—and won the race.
Stricker won with a 2-stroke lead above Luke Donald, with a closing 1-under 70. Stricker said he knew it would be hard, and he was playing scared, at least for a while. But when he got two birdies in a row, some of the fear started to abate. A par putt on hole 15 was what made it pretty clear it was his game to lose, and he didn't appear about to lose it.
This is his second time at #2 in the world, and his 8th career win, another emotional and tearful winning moment to go along with his other 7 wins, which were equally emotional for Stricker. This was his 4th win in 15 consecutive starts. While obviously happy, it was the mention of his career 4 years ago that brought the tears yesterday. Stricker's PGA Tour card was removed 4 years ago.
The last round was tense for Stricker for a while, with a 5 shot lead coming out of Saturday that was cut by half after a short-distance par putt. Donald, who finished second, birdied on hole 5 with a 10-foot putt. But he missed his next 2 birdie putts, both putts of about the same distance from the hole. Had he made those birdies, there could have been a tie for the win, or he could have even pulled ahead.
Donald acknowledged that the missed putts cost him. He finished with a 66. Striker ended with 16-under 268 and took the winner's loot, at just over $1.15 million dollars, putting his career earnings just over $25 million dollars.
The lead that Donald had cut in half grew back to 4 shots when Stricker started that steady, careful play that he finished the tournament with. Ironically, he was starting to struggle, then hit the 15th hole where he missed and chipped the shot to 10 feet from the hole, but landed the putt to birdie on his longest putt of the day.
Dustin Johnson, who tied with J.B. Holmes for 3rd place, had been in the lead, but managed only 74 on Saturday. He finished with a 66, while Holmes finished with a 67. Phil Mickelson, in a bid to be the first player to win at Riviera 3 years in a row, finished poorly with a 73 and a 14-shot deficit. He recently caused a stir with using a loophole to use a wedge that was technically banned, but has since retired the club.
Stricker was #2 for the first time in September after a big win in Boston. Asked if he could picture himself overtaking Tiger Woods, the #1 player who's out right now on a hiatus from the sport to work on his marriage, Stricker refused to consider it and said he'd just continue on doing what he does.
Photo Credits: proforged
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