PGA TOUR Stricker wins at Riviera, climbs to No 2

Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club - Pacific Palisades, California

As Steve Stricker started his last round Sunday with a six-shot lead, everybody expected him to win easily. Instead, the lead had shrunk to 2 strokes by the 5th hole and last year’s runner up was again trying not to lose.

Sticker went from having a chance to break the 26-year-old tournament record, to fear matching a PGA Tour record for blowing the biggest lead.

The Northern Trust Open ultimately ended the way everyone thought it would – Stricker in tears after another victory, his fourth in his last 15 starts.

“I just knew it was going to be hard,” Stricker said after closing with a 1-under 70 for a two-shot victory over Luke Donald. “You’re playing a different game than you play normally. You play scared – at least I did for a while.”

While Donald (England) mounted a charge with 3 birdies in his first five holes to jump to -12, a defensive Sticker made 4 pars and a bogey at the 4th hole, dropping to -14.

With only a 2-shots advantage and 13 holes to play, the game was on as not only Donald but a few more players like Dustin Johnson, J.B. Holmes, Andres Romero and George McNeill among others were right back in with a chance to take the tournament from the starting 6-shots-leader Stricker.

The lead could have vanished entirely had Donald not missed birdie putts of about ten feet at the next two holes.

Fortunately, Stricker settled down and with back-to-back birdies at the 8th and 9th pulled four strokes clear at the turn. He played the back nine level par, drilling another clutch putt at 15 to keep Donald at arm’s length. The Briton birdied 13 and 17 to get within 2, but Stricker played perfectly the difficult 18th and didn’t give him a chance, finishing with a 70 round for 16-under 268 aggregate and a 2-strokes victory for his eighth career PGA Tour title.

Stricker earned $1.152 million to go over $25 million for his career, and 500 Fedex Cup points to take the lead on the Fedex Standings, 226 points clear of second Bill Haas.

Dustin Johnson, who shot a 74 on Saturday to fall out of the lead, made one last run and got within three shots. He finished with a 66, tied for third with J.B. Holmes who closed with a 67.

Phil Mickelson, trying to become the first player to win three straight years at Riviera, had a disappointing week. Closing with a 73, he finished 14 shots behind tied 45th.

Stricker had a long day on Sunday, having to return in the morning cold to finish off his third round. He led by seven shots after a birdie on 16 from 4 feet, following a 30-foot birdie putt on 15. A bogey at the 18th completed a 66 for a six-shot lead going into his last round.

This is the second time Stricker has gone to No 2 in the world –he also got there in September after winning in Boston – although he likely still would have to win at least three more times to catch Tiger Woods, who is out indefinitely. Could he be thinking about that?

“I don’t allow that,” Stricker said. “We all know who the best player in the world is, and I’ll just continue to do what I do, and that’s practice hard and work at it and try to improve.”

As usual, Sticker couldn’t contain his tears on his TV interview. The only time he didn’t cry after a victory was last year at the shark Shootout, during the fun season.

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PGA TOUR Stricker wins at Riviera, climbs to No 2

PGA TOUR Stricker wins at Riviera, climbs to No 2

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