The PLAYERS: Steve Stricker Q&A on TPC Sawgrass, Ryder Cup, extra

Twelve-time PGA Tour winner Steve Stricker will make his twenty third begin at The PLAYERS Championship this week. He final performed at TPC Sawgrass in 2021, when he missed the minimize because of a poor second spherical through which he shot a 5-over 77.

However Stricker hopes to enhance upon that efficiency this week.

He’s within the area at TPC Sawgrass because of his win on the Kaulig Firms Championship—previously referred to as the Senior Gamers Championship—on the PGA Tour Champions a season in the past.

The Wisconsin native went on to win yet another time in 2023 and is off to a stable begin to this point in 2024.

As such, we caught up with Stricker and talked about TPC Sawgrass, his success on the PGA Tour Champions, the Ryder Cup, and extra.

(Please notice this dialog has been barely edited and modified for readability and readability)

Steve Stricker and The PLAYERS Championship

Enjoying By way of: The place does The PLAYERS Championship rank in your listing of favourite tournaments?

Steve Stricker: You realize, it’s proper up there. It’s a type of tournaments that you simply need to be at come March.

You need your sport prepared—typically to the purpose of over-preparing and getting an excessive amount of in your personal manner. And it’s a type of tournaments you actually need to play nicely at and be at.

It’s simply an iconic golf course, too. You realize, 16, 17, and 18, actually, however clearly, the seventeenth pulls everyone in. Everybody likes to observe it, even me; I’ll sit there and watch. It’s like a prepare wreck ready to occur, proper?

You simply glued in watching. So it’s it’s numerous enjoyable and I’m excited to be lastly going again there.

Picture by Richard Heathcote/Getty Photos

PT: I used to be your outcomes there, and your finest end got here again in 1999, whenever you tied for sixth. You could have had some struggles there, 9 missed cuts, and solely 5 top-20 finishes in 22 begins. Is there a attribute about TPC Sawgrass that appears to stump you?

Stricker: I haven’t had the most effective of information going round there. I simply by no means actually had an opportunity to win, and I don’t know why that’s. I don’t know if it’s the quantity of hassle that’s across the golf course, or if it’s the disasters ready to occur, however it’s important to be okay with that.

I’m going again to the programs I grew up enjoying as a child in Wisconsin. I by no means performed round numerous water or numerous hazards. So, I’m going to TPC Sawgrass, and it’s like, whoa, it’s important to steer away from it, after which typically steering away from it leads into extra hassle.

Through the years, I’ve gotten extra snug with components of that golf course, however it’s nonetheless a problem.

PT: As former Ryder Cup captain, what did you make of Rome final Fall?

Steve Stricker: It was disappointing. I used to be over there, watching all of it unfold, and, yeah, it was disappointing. I’ve a few concepts on what occurs right here versus abroad for us. I believe, notably with this Ryder Cup, the period of time these guys had off between their final event and the precise Ryder Cup performed an enormous position. Our guys simply weren’t that sharp.

It confirmed as soon as the competitors began, however within the workforce room, the bunch of men on these groups get alongside so nicely and have such time with one another that it’s a disgrace they’re not getting the job finished abroad.

Picture by Scott Taetsch/Getty Photos

Stricker’s Huge Success on PGA Tour Champions

PT: You had a fantastic 12 months final 12 months, with six wins and 15 top-10 finishes. What was the rationale behind your success on the PGA Tour Champions?

Stricker: I believe it was as a result of I made a decision to play full-time on the market. I performed 16 instances, which was just about a full schedule. I used to be going to play a pair extra on the finish, however my dad was struggling a bit bit.

However yeah, I believe simply enjoying a full schedule. That was my first 12 months the place I performed that many occasions on the PGA Tour Champions, and I dedicated to it.

I didn’t play something on the PGA Tour, and I attempted to problem myself to see what number of instances I might actually get in rivalry and attempt to win.

PT: How totally different is the vibe on the PGA Tour Champions in comparison with the PGA Tour?

Stricker: It’s rather a lot. I can go to an occasion on Wednesday, and hit a couple of balls on Wednesday.

You play the Professional-Am on Thursday, after which bang, you’re proper into the event. It’s much more informal. Guys are nonetheless grinding, don’t get me flawed. And I do too.

We’re nonetheless very aggressive and need to play nicely. There are guys who’re nonetheless grinding it out and competing onerous to attempt to win. In order that’s the cool half, too, that it nonetheless means rather a lot to everyone on the market, they usually’re nonetheless making an attempt to do their finest.

Picture by Chris Condon/PGA Tour through Getty Photos

PT: I’ve lengthy admired your placing. For those who had any suggestions for any beginner golfers who’ve been combating placing, or, heck, possibly it’s even Scottie Scheffler Shuffler—he’s clearly struggled along with his placing the final 12 months or so. What recommendation would you present to any person who’s struggling on the greens?

Stricker: That’s one as a result of it has gone so many alternative methods these days.

These days, you nearly have to begin along with your gear first. There are such a lot of totally different alternatives. Perhaps face steadiness is healthier for you, or possibly extra rotation is healthier for you.

You’ll want to putz round with that.

There are grips that may assist you to these days, you realize, just like the outsized grips. These appear to be fairly fashionable. I’ve struggled with these, however numerous guys like them. However there are such a lot of totally different avenues to attempt to get a unique really feel in your arms to begin with.

If that doesn’t work, then clearly, it’s important to take a look at your mechanics, and you must at all times take a look at that, too.

However through the years, I believe the rationale I’ve been constant is that I actually haven’t modified my method to placing for shoot, 40 years.

PT: Wow.

Stricker: Effectively, I can look again at after I first acquired on the PGA Tour within the early Nineties and even late Nineteen Eighties after I performed school golf… my ideas are the identical. I actually haven’t modified.

I really feel just like the simplistic method that I’ve taken has finished me nicely, and I proceed to do the identical issues 12 months in and 12 months out, as I did 40 years in the past.

Picture by Christian Petersen/Getty Photos

PT: What do you consider guys like Will Zalatoris and Lucas Glover, who frankly had the yips however then found a bit one thing with the longer putter?

Stricker: I believe that’s clearly nice for them.

I’m not an enormous fan of them with the ability to get a putter that’s the longest membership in your bag. I believe there must be a measurement restrict to your putter nearly. However that may harm a couple of gamers, and that’s not what I’m saying.

I believe it’s nice for them that they had been capable of finding their placing sport once more and play nicely. Each of them are nice guys, Will and Lucas, nice individuals. I’m so comfortable for them that they had been in a position to try this.

It’s made an enormous distinction for positive.

PT: Galleri Traditional arising at Mission Hills in direction of the tip of the month. You performed nicely there final 12 months, tying for fifth. How excited are you to get again there? Do you assume you may win this time round?

Stricker: I hope so! However as I’ve stated to different individuals earlier than, I’m an enormous fan of the LPGA. I watch numerous LPGA Occasions, they usually have had a storied historical past there at Mission Hills with the ladies. For us to be there, I might like to dip into Poppy’s Pond, similar to the ladies did for all these years of their first main of the season.

Picture by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Photos

I don’t know if David Toms took a bounce in there or not, however I’ve ladies, so I believe they’d be pushing me in or making an attempt to get me to leap in if I win.

Stricker on significance of the Galleri Take a look at, Galleri Traditional

PT: Talking of the Galleri Traditional, which is known as after GRAIL’s multi-cancer early detection check, is there any person in your loved ones or somebody near you who has been affected by this horrible illness? Maybe they impressed you to become involved with GRAIL and assist develop consciousness about this check.

Stricker: We simply began this relationship, and I’m enthusiastic about what they’re making an attempt to do with these most cancers screenings. Particularly now that I’m of a sure inhabitants and age the place individuals must be extra on alert for most cancers and getting examined for it.

I misplaced my school roommate, Kevin Fairfield, 20 years in the past already. He was in his youthful thirties, and he had a uncommon type of most cancers in his abdomen. Ever since then, now that I’m in my fifties, I’ve at all times been excited about that. Happily, we haven’t had—knock on wooden— some other relations affected by most cancers, however positively pals and pals of pals.

You hear the tales, and I simply assume it’s a fantastic alternative for us to get the phrase out, about this blood check.

It’s a easy blood check, proper?

You are able to do it along with your physician, get a prescription for it, and for individuals 50 and older, and, as I stated, for that demographic, it’s a fantastic alternative.

I’m going to take it on Tuesday of the event. I’m enthusiastic about that, and I really feel like being proactive with my well being is essential. So, if I can study something earlier moderately than later, I’m going to strive to try this, after all.

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By way of. Make sure to take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.