Steve Stricker lands the season-opener Hyundai Tournament of Champions on PGA Tour in Hawaii
Steve Stricker, the leading American player on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR), clinched the Hyundai Tournament of Champions on the final day of the event, with a glorious three-shot lead over the approaching contenders.
Stricker, who has been battling Cortisone injury in his neck and a badly affected left arm because of the same, started off the final round with a strong five-stroke lead.
By the time the 44-year-old was halfway through the front nine, he had already lost four points on the leaderboard, to the fast approaching Martin Laird.
"It was tough," said Stricker, who finished at 23-under 269. "I never let up today. It's always tough trying to win, and it's even more tough when you have a lead like I did. I'm very proud of what I did today. And it's always cool to get a hug from your family walking off at the end".
Frustrated for not having sunk a single birdie till the fifth hole on the front, Stricker lost all hope when he stumbled on the bogey on the sixth.
His tons of experience of the Plantation Course at Kapalua probably came into play when he regained his composure to land two consecutive birdies before making the turn.
He went over to bag three more birdies on the back nine to finish off with a three-shot lead at the $5.6-million event.
Laird finished for an outright second, trailing Stricker by three shots and one shot better than Webb Simpson and Jonathan Byrd, who finished for a joint third position.
Laird was the only player who came close to challenging Stricker’s overwhelming five-shot lead in the day, when he moved closer with three consecutive birdies on the front.
"I think probably the most underrated player in the world is Steve Stricker," Laird said who dropped two bogeys later in the day to let go off his hard-earned position on the leaderboard.
Stricker was showered with cuddly hugs by his two daughters, 13-year-old Bobbi Maria and 5-year-old Isabella, and a luscious kiss from his wife as soon as he sank the 18th putt.
He had an impressive opening of the season-starter on the PGA Tour, landing a title in the very first week of the calendar year.
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