The Deutsche Bank

Worst to First

Date Written: September 8, 2009

Who'd a thunk that a guy named Stricker would be the one to come charging out of the golf peloton to challenge Tiger's run through history? It would be easy to name a half dozen guys who were more likely to threaten His Majesty's supremacy than Stricker. But his one-shot victory in The Deusche, makes him worthy of being included in any 2nd place dialogue.

Do you remember that this is the same guy who couldn't keep his card at the end of the 2005 season? Now he's the two-time reigning Comeback Player of Year who also happens to stand a good chance of cashing a $10 mil check for winning the inexplicable Schmed-Ex Cup. He's grooved a three-quarter swing that looks like he's had his wrists fused with a dead-eye putting stroke. Johnny (The Oracle) Miller, mused that Stricker has this big muscle swing that the next generation of golfer's might want to emulate. We'll see.

To excerpt from Jason Sobel of ESPN.com:

Steve Stricker is fast becoming known as golf's answer to Derek Jeter -- a guy who turns it up a few notches when the playoffs are in full swing. In 10 career FedEx Cup appearances, he owns two wins, six top-10s, no finishes of worse than T-24 and no missed cuts, leaving him as one of only three players to compete in all 40 rounds of the three-year system. It's a record that has some already referring to him as Mr. September. To date, his season includes six top-three finishes, 10 top-10s and more than $6 million in official earnings -- all numbers that have some wondering whether he could surpass Woods in the Player of the Year race.

Closer to home: for fellow jingoists that follow Idaho golf, Boise State grad, Troy (did his parent's go to SC?) Merritt, had a monster week in Mexico at the weekly Nationwide stop. Click on the link to read more:

http://www.pgatour.com/2009/tournaments/h095/09/06/rd4.recap/index.html

What with the field being reduced for the third Schmed-Ex cup event called the BMW (about 20 miles West of Chi-town), our esteemed pool leader, Charlie Tuna, is grateful for his T-23 pick of Mike Weir at The Deutsche, because that's the LAST money Charlie's gonna win. Neither of his picks are in the field for the last two events. Methinks it's a gonna be a dogfight for the top three spots.