Steve Stricker all set to tame the Plainfield Country Club at the Barclays this week
Steve Stricker seems to have done all the homework for the upcoming FedExcup Playoffs starting from the Barclays this week and will be hoping to win the $8-million event again after his 2007 victory. He has won three times on the Playoffs and has already
two title victories under his belt in the current season.
The 44-year-old American has not won a major event in his career although coming close several times. Winner of 19 professional titles in his stellar career, Stricker is currently on top of the American pack in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and
is number two on the FedExCup Rankings, making him the most successful American golfer in the year 2011.
However, this has not made him slow down or put down his guard for the rest of the closing three months of the season. He seems to have charted out a fair strategy to tackle the greens at the Plainfield Country Club this week and shared some of the planning
he has made for the week.
Speaking of the alluring par-four, 18th, one of the notoriously famous holes at Plainfield, Stricker said he would rather play it safe than to go for an eagle.
"My best effort, if there’s no wind, I can probably get it up towards the front somewhere and for me, there’s just too much risk there," Stricker said. "There’s bunkers around. There’s real tall heather stuff on both sides of the fairway. And really, I can
hit an iron or a utility club and have a wedge in my hand and hopefully take it out of play."
The 18th hole is surrounded by deep entrenched bunkers making it all the more difficult for the player to move up and down the green. A mere 285 yards with a lucrative par-four approach, tempts many players to try to hit the green for an eagle,
but often end up in a bunker eventually dropping a shot. Stricker who doesn’t have a glorious tee-shot of the likes of Nick Watney opted for a hybrid off the tee at the practice round on Wednesday while Watney was seen leisurely using drivers for the tee shots.
"Well, if I … had the length that Nick Watney had, I would be pulling out driver, too," Stricker said. "But I can’t get there. It’s just an awkward tee shot," he added.
The 44-year-old American with 19 professional wins in his career will be hoping to win the title yet again to proceed to the second leg of the event, the Deutsche Bank Championship. Stricker won the Memorial Tournament earlier in the year and successfully
defended the John Deere Classic title for the third consecutive year. He has made the cut in all the 15 starts and has five top-ten finishes in the year.
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