STEVE STRICKER WINS THE MEMORIAL (BARELY)

By mustang6560 on 6/6/11

With his win at The Memorial at Muirfield Village, Steve Stricker is now the highest ranked American golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings. He jumped from No. 8 to No. 4, one spot higher than Phil Mickelson.

Steve was in cruise control on Sunday. He opened with a bogey-free 30 on the front nine and was already eying his first victory of 2011. The tournament was in the bag - until a rain delay. For two hours, he had to sit on a three-stroke lead with five holes to play thinking about all the things that could go wrong.

Once play resumed, Steve stumbled to the finish. He played the last five holes two-over and barely managed to hang on for a one-stroke lead over Matt Kuchar and Brandt Jobe, both of whom shot a final round 65.

"It wasn't pretty," Stricker said to tournament host Jack Nicklaus walking off the 18th green.

. . .

"It was a little bit of a struggle since we came in from the rain delay," he said. "At that point, I was trying not to make a mistake. I hung tough, made a couple of crucial putts when I had to."

It might not have been pretty, but a win is a win nonetheless. It just shows you even the best golfers in the world struggle with the mental aspect of the game.

But the real storyline today is we are officially only one week away from the start of the U.S. Open at Congressional. The course is going to be brutal this year playing nearly 8,000 yards. Golf is fun watch, but it's at its best when all of the world's top players are vying for the same piece of metal on one of the hardest courses in the world. I can't wait!



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photo by kompuder_dude

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