Steve Stricker Determined

Steve Stricker seems determined to put himself in position to fail again with his quick start Friday at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.

Yeah, that sounds so negative, so pessimistic compared to saying he’s trying to put himself into position to win again, but the truth is that tournaments are lost more than they’re won. At week’s end, one player will walk away with the trophy and a half dozen or so will be recounting how they could have won it, or just plain lost it.

Stricker, a four-time PGA Tour winner, knows this hard truth as the winner and loser of events. He squandered a chance to win The 50th Bob Hope Classic earlier this year, shedding his final round lead with a couple wild shots in on the way to a 77. He had a another chance at the end of the Northern Trust but couldn’t finish off a strong final-round run, making bogey at the last hole to miss out on a playoff by a shot.

But when it comes to rebounding, Stricker is an expert. He’s a two-time PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year. That’s a remarkable distinction, being able to rebound from significant adversity from one season to the next. If he’s able to win this week, he’ll have engineered a comeback within a season. Stricker’s shown he isn’t afraid to give himself a chance to fail. He has finished second, third, fourth, sixth and seventh already this season. He may get knocked down, but he keeps getting up, and he keeps coming.