Regular readers know that Mr. Fairway is in the tank for fellow cheesehead Steve Stricker. But after getting off to a great start – second at the Mercedes-Benz Championship and three other top 10 finishes – Stricker has missed the cut in four if his last five tournaments, including the Masters and the Players. In the four events where he was MC, he has not broken 70. What’s been the difference? A check of his stats shows that he is struggling with his putter. Sticker is 44th in putting average (he finished 6th last year); 111th in putting from 10-15 feet; and 163rd in putting from 15-20 feet. That’s not very good for someone regarded as one of the best putters on the tour.
Stricker is entered in this week’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial where last year he was T-24. This is an important week for Stricker, who played well the last two summers in winning back-to-back Comeback Player of the Year awards. Last year, he followed up a good finish in Fort Worth with a T-13 finish a the U.S. Open and a second place at the AT&T Invitational on his way to winning the Barclays and a second place finish in the inaugural FedEx Cup. How he plays at Colonial could set the tone for the rest of his season. Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger must be watching closely to see if Stricker, who is a cinch to make the team, can turn things around.
Hitting range balls while wondering whatever happened to Howie Johnson.
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