Super Senior: Steve Stricker By Six At The Tradition

Steve Stricker’s return to  senior competition has been nothing short of spectacular and he was more than that at the season’s first major as he blew away the competition at the Regions Tradition on Sunday.

If there’s a Comeback Player Of The Year in golf — it would be Stricker.  After a mystery illness following the Ryder Cup left him hospitalized — he spent six months away from golf recovering from inflammation around his heart and a 25-pound weight loss.

This week, he looked 100 percent and then some.  He led wire-to-wire and never looked back on his way to winning by six shots and bagging his four senior major.

Stricker let the tears roll down his face after a closing  68 got him to 21-under par for 72 holes at Greystone and a half-dozen shots clear of runner-up Paddy Harrington.

Stricker went head-to-head in the final threesome with Schwab Cup points leader and Miguel Angel Jimenez.  Alker, who has been dominant all season on the Champions Tour, had no answer for Stricker’s determination.

“It’s been a long time,” the emotional Stricker said. “I hate crying, but where I was last November and even a couple of months ago — to come full-circle here, it means a lot.”

Stricker admitted he didn’t have his best stuff over the final 18 but pointed out:  “My short game saved me.”

Over the past three weeks, he finished tied for second at the Insperity, 10th at the Mitsubishi last week then the victory this week.  “I didn’t know what to expect coming out three weeks ago,” Stricker said. “I didn’t know if I could make it three weeks in a row.”

The win was unfinished business for Stricker, who thought he should have prevailed in this event last year when Alex Cejka beat him in a playoff.

This go-round Stricker made it a week with no drama.  Greystone has become one of his favorite venues, he won in 2019 and was runnerup in 2018 and 2021.  There was no event in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Regions Tradition Scoreboard:

Tiger Woods Gets In Sunday Practice Round At Southern Hills:

The news spread quickly Sunday in Tulsa — Tiger Woods was on site at Southern Hills for a practice round and he’s a go for this week’s second major of the season — the PGA Championship.

Tiger looked good and after his work.  He played nine holes with caddie Joe LaCava at his side and looked like he’s stronger than he was in April at The Masters.

“I’ve gotten a lot stronger since the Masters,” Woods said.  “We went back to work on Tuesday (after the Masters). Monday was awful; I did nothing and Tuesday was leg day.  It’s only going to keep getting stronger,” Woods said of his surgically-repaired right leg.  The more I use it, the more strength it gains. Am I ever going to have full mobility? No. Never again. But I’ll be able to get stronger. It’s going to ache, but that’s the way it’s going to be.  “I’m excited about (the week). I’m not going to play that much going forward so anytime I do play, it’s going to be fun to play and to compete. There only so many money games you can play at home.”

While Woods will play, defending champion Phil Mickelson withdrew late last week.