Steve Stricker will probably slip out of town, largely unnoticed sometime Friday.
Stricks is 50 now and heading for what’s next.
No need to feel sorry for the President’s Cup captain who may well end up as the Ryder Cup captain in 2020 when the event moves to Wisconsin where he is everyone’s favorite son.
Back in the day his game was perfect for a place like this week’s tour stop at Innisbrook but on Thursday he stumbled around the Copperhead course with a non-descript 75, four-over par on a day perfect for scoring and a whopping 13 shots off Jim Herman’s sizzling 62. This was only Sticker’s third event this season. He finished a distant T42 in Phoenix and T23 at Pebble Beach.
But earlier in the week, Strick had everyone’s ear.
You see, over the years, he’s worked his way into that special FOT Camp — as in Friends Of Tiger.
Stricker is one of the guys Tiger Woods will actually speak with at times and no doubt Stricks has spoken to him recently and it was Stricks who gave everyone a confirmation perhaps of what we already know.
“He’s working hard at it but I don’t think he’s doing that well right now physically.”
That’s how Stricker put it, bringing the world up to date on the health or lack thereof as far as Woods goes.
Stricker also noticed what everyone else did before Woods withdrew in Dubai.
“Just he way he was walking didn’t quite look right. He was walking gingerly. It didn’t really look physically like he was ready to play,” Stricker added.
Stricker also feels and says what everyone else says when it comes to Woods and his future:
“Obviously he has to get his body right before he can compete. Then it’s going to take some time, I think, for him to come back believing in his swing and trusting in his ability again.”
There also came the announcement from Woods’ camp this week that he will not play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill next week.
The announcement once again came with the caveat “that there is no timetable for his return.”
You may as well write it down now that he won’t play in the Masters either and if you go back to what Pat Perez said a few weeks ago, Woods may not play at all again this year.
Which brings us back to Stricker.
Where you will see Woods is the President’s Cup where he will be one of Stricker’s assistant captains along with Jim Furyk, David Love III and Freddie Couples.
For Stricker it may well be a Ryder Cup dress rehearsal for the captaincy.
Now that Stricker does have the option of teeing it up with the old guys on the Champions Tour, there’s no certainty as to how eager he will be to do that.
Stricker has made more than $42 million in tour earnings alone and he’s made decent endorsement income as well. His lifestyle is not extravagant, he just a down-to-earth Midwest guy from ‘Sckonsin.
He’s been one of the good guys out there. No hassle getting an autograph from him. He’s an honest guys in interviews and looks people in the eye when he speaks to them.
He’ll slip out of town without many recognizing him. That’s Stricks. Good guy, nice guy.
Just a regular guy that so many can identify with.
