Two-time defending champion Steve Stricker will take centre stage at the John Deere Classic this week as the world No. 5 seeks to dominate the event for the third consecutive year.
The 44-year-old American, who birdied all 12 par-five holes en route to a two stroke win in 2010, can complete a rare three-peat with a victory at the Deer Run course.
“You like that extra pressure,” Stricker said. “Hopefully, I can get an opportunity again coming down the stretch on Sunday. But it’s a long road. You got to play good. There’s a lot of good players here this week, so it’ll be tough.”
And the highest ranked American isn’t short on confidence this year after having already won the Memorial tournament in June. He leads the USPGA Tour in putting average and birdies.
Stricker tees off on Thursday in a group that also comprises Mark Wilson and US compatriot David Toms, who won the event on a different course 14 years ago.
Last year, Stricker beat Paul Goydos by two shots. If he wins on Sunday it would be just the 21st time in tour history a player has won a tournament for three straight years. Tiger Woods, who is skipping this event because of injuries, is the last to do it, completing the three-peat at the 2007 Bridgestone Invitational.
Woods isn’t the only big name missing from this week’s tournament. Many of the top players give the John Deere a miss because it comes just one week before the British Open.
But this year’s field is surprisingly strong as Stricker is expected to face stiff challenges from players like rising Aussie star Jason Day and British Open winners Louis Oosthuizen and Stewart Cink.
The 23-year-old Day, of Beaudesert, Queensland, hopes that the three-month hot streak he has been on will pay off with his second professional win. Day finished second at this year’s Masters and US Open.
Day is part of a trio that also includes Mossel Bay’s Oosthuizen, who last year became the fourth South African in history to win the British Open. The third player in their group is 2009 British Open winner Cink of the US.
Also competing are Americans Mark Wilson, a two-time winner on the tour this year, Zach Johnson and David Toms. — AFP