Steve Stricker will be the U.S. Ryder Cup captain this September at Whistling Straits, but there’s a very good chance none of his 12 players will have matched something he already accomplished this year.
At 54, Stricker has long been a part-time PGA Tour player, but when he tees it up, he can still hang with the young guns. And when he plays on the senior circuit, he’s done pretty well too with six wins including two majors in 2019.
But there was one particular stretch of ball-striking on the main tour earlier this season that sets him apart. Stricker has the longest streak of consecutive greens in regulation with 35. It was a run that started on the third hole of the third round at the Waste Management Phoenix Open and ended in the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Overall, Stricker hit his final 34 greens at TPC Scottsdale as he recorded a T-4, his best PGA Tour finish since a runner-up at the 2016 FedEx St. Jude Classic. Talk about turning back the clock.
Justin Thomas, Adam Scott, and Cameron Tringale have the next best streaks on tour this year with 28 consecutive GIRs. Not surprisingly, none of those are active coming off the U.S. Open at a difficult Torrey Pines.
In case you’re wondering, Bob Lohr’s 51 consecutive GIRs in 1993 is the longest streak since the tour began keeping this stat in 1992. Just a guess, but you probably didn’t know that.
So what does this mean for Stricker? Well, the captain can still golf his ball. And he’ll likely hold at least some bragging rights over anyone who makes his squad this fall.