back to list ]Stricker Wins Deutsche Bank Championship in Dramatic Fashion - September 7th
Posted by Jim Connelly (09/07/2009 08:00PM )NORTON, Mass. – Just call him Mr. September.
Steve Stricker cemented himself as Mr. Clutch in golf’s post-season with a come-from-behind victory in Monday’s final round of the Deutsche Bank Championship, the second of four PGA TOUR Playoff events.
Trailing Scott Verplank and Jason Dufner by a shot at the par-4 17th, Stricker rolled home a curling, 15-foot putt to draw even. Then, after blistering a drive down the left side of the reachable par-5 18th and drilling a second shot just over the back of the green, Stricker chipped to 27 inches on his third shot and then easily dropped home the birdie putt to finish at 17-under-par and earn himself a one-shot victory and the $1.35 million winner’s check.
“It was a tough day and there were a lot of guys in the mix,” said Stricker. “I knew the number [for a playoff] was 16-under. That putt on 17, I got a good read from [playing partner] Retief [Goosen’s] putt.
“Making it took a little bit of the pressure off me, knowing I could make par at 18 and still get into a playoff.”
Being one shot better, though, earned Stricker his second career PGA TOUR Playoffs, his first coming in The Barclays in 2007. It’s also his fourth top three finish in a playoff event since its inception in 2007. Stricker is among a handful of players who have played in all 10 PGA TOUR Playoff events and his worst finish over that time is tied for 24th.
The victory catapulted Stricker to first in the FedExCup points standings and ensures that he can be no lower than second heading into the season ending TOUR Championship.
“I can control my destiny in the TOUR Championship, which is nice,” said Stricker.
Stricker’s finish capped of a day of drama at the TPC Boston that began with the world’s number one player, Tiger Woods, mounting a massive rally and ascent up the Leaderboard. Woods began the day nine shots off the lead at 4-under-par, but after beginning with three early birdies, he holed his second shot at the par-4 6th hole to climb to 9-under, four shots in back of the leaders, who wouldn’t tee off for another two hours. Birdies at 7, 10, 13 and 15 coupled with a bogey at 11 left him one off the lead heading to the 17th, but that was as close as he would get and, after all was said and done, his 12-under-par finish was good for a tie for 11th place.
“The whole idea was to shoot something in the low 60s and that would probably get me in the top 10,” said Woods. “Certainly from where I was at, I couldn’t win the tournament.”
Once the leaders were on the course, the logjam at the top that existed when the day began slowly began to break. Early struggles by Kevin Na, Jerry Kelly, Kevin Sutherland, Retief Goosen and Sean O’Hair left just a handful of players in serious contention.
One of those players was fan favorite Padraig Harrington. Birdies at 2, 4 5 and 7 put him two shots clear of the field at 16-under. But as he made the turn for the back nine, the wheels began to fall off. A tee shot left into the hazard led to a bogey at the par-4 10th. He followed that with a pull at the par-4 12th that put his ball in such an unplayable lie that he was forced to take a penalty and re-tee, resulting in double bogey. Harrington rallied down the stretch but still came up two shots short.
“I was very unlucky with the tee shot [at the 12th],” said Harrington. “I pulled it down the left. You just expected it to be in the rough and it caught the limb of a tree and it went unplayable. Those things happen. You get some good breaks, you get some bad breaks.”
With Harrington out of the way, attention turned to Dufner, Verplank and Angel Cabrera. Cabrera birdied 14, 15 and 17 to climb to 15-under heading to the 18th. He was unable to hit the fairway with his drive, though, and settled for par.
Shortly thereafter, Jason Dufner, who fired a 5-under 31 on the front, made his only birdie of the back on 18 to climb to one better than Cabrera at 16-under. That then was matched by Verplank, who birdied each of his final four holes to match Dufner’s score.
That led to the waiting game, which eventually was made moot by Stricker’s dramatic finish.
The victory was a brilliant recovery for the 42-year-old Stricker who a week ago was in position to make par on the 18th hole to enter a playoff with eventual champion Heath Slocum. Missing a 15-foot putt, though, led to a runner-up finish and plenty of second-guessing.
“Last week was disappointing,” said Stricker. “I tried to blow it off but even days later I was still thinking about it. But that’s what’s great about what we do. We get to come right back the next week.”
And come back Stricker certainly did. After posting an opening round 63 on Friday to seize the lead, he struggled in the second round and fell back to the middle of the pack. In Sunday’s third round, it was another sizzling hot round, this time a 65, that put him in the lead entering Monday.
But even that lead wouldn’t last, forcing Stricker to once again come from behind. This time, though, there were no holes or golfers left who would catch him and victory was finally his.
Which makes you think, when all is said in done, maybe a more appropriate title than Mr. September for Stricker might just be The Comeback Kid.
