Nine Holes with Steve Stricker

Steve Stricker almost disappeared into the woods of Wisconsin. His resume went from “promising young player” to “washed up 30-something” in a matter of months. But with the help of a space heater, his father-in-law, and a trailer on a driving range, Stricker found his game again.

By all accounts, Stricker is a nice guy, a “regular joe.” Tiger calls him “classy.” His rollercoaster PGA Tour career has been a riches-to-rags-to-riches story.

Stricker showed early promise on Tour. He won twice in 1996, his seventh year as a pro, and he seemed destined to be among the premier players. He won again in 2001, but then gradually, his swing left him and his scores rose.

He missed getting his card at the 2005 Q-School, but he’s has come a very long way since. This year, Stricker finished second in the FedExCup, made the Presidents Cup team, and scored his first win since 2001. He’s on a two-year streak of solid play that shows no sign of slowing. 2008 could be another very good year for Steve Stricker.

Hole One
Stricker has four PGA Tour wins to date (1996 Kemper Open, 1996 Motorola Western Open, 2001 World Golf Championship—Accenture Match Play Championship, 2007 Barclays).

Hole Two
Stricker earned three points in the Presidents Cup, going 2-0 in Foursomes, 1-1 in Four-Ball, and losing in his singles match. His point total tied for third-best (with Stewart Cink, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson, and Tiger Woods) among the Americans, behind surprise leaders David Toms (4-0-1) and Scott Verplank (4-0-0).

Hole Three
Stricker was born February 23, 1967 in Edgerton, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Illinois, where he was an All American in 1988-89, before turning pro in 1990.

Hole Four
Stricker met his wife, Nicki, in college. The couple have two daughters, Bobbi, 9, and Isabella, 1. Nicki was also Steve’s steady caddy until 1998 when she gave up the bag to deliver Bobbi Maria. In fact, Team Stricker is indeed a family affair. Father-in-law Dave Tiziani, a former golf coach at the University of Wisconsin, is his swing coach. His brother-in-law, Mario Tiziani, has also played in several PGA Tour events.

Hole Five
In his spare time, Stricker enjoys hunting and clay target shooting.

Hole Six
Stricker ended 2005 at 337th in the World Golf Rankings, ten years after reaching #12. After his second place finish in the FedExCup, he’s made it all the way back and then some. He’s currently #4 in the world. And his six-year winless streak ended this year with his win at the Barclays.

Hole Seven
Stricker hit bottom when he failed to secure his tour card in December 2005 at Q-School. During his four-year slump, Stricker missed 47 cuts against just three top-ten finishes. But he still earned $1,778,849 during those years, which was just over $100,000 more than he had earned in 2001 alone. That kind of makes it hard to feel too bad for him, huh?

Hole Eight
Stricker rebuilt his swing in a three-sided mobile home at the Cherokee Country Club in Madison, Wisconsin. The range was covered with drifting snow and wind chills dropped the temperature below zero, but Stricker kept working through the winter. The mobile home did have heat, however.

Stricker successfully shortened his old, long swing, which was prone to tempo issues and balky under pressure, into a clearly more repeatable version.

Hole Nine
In addition to his win at the Barclays, Stricker had nine top tens in 2007 (including seconds at the Wachovia Championship and the AT&T National) and 14 top 25s in 23 starts. His earnings for the year amounted to $4,663,077 (fourth on Tour). Not too bad for a guy who at one point considered leaving the Tour to spend more time hunting.

Photo Credits: © Wire.