Top 100 TOUR Players to Watch in 2010: No. 3

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Dec. 30, 2009

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Regular Season Rank	2
Playoff Rank	3
Bonus Money	2,000,000

Steve Stricker took another quantum leap last year as he won three times, posted 11 top-10s finishes and earned more than $6 million -- all career highs for the soft-spoken man from Wisconsin. He proved a worthy opponent for his good friend Tiger Woods, too, and gets another chance in 2010 to build on the confidence he gained. In reality, Stricker might have had an even bigger year, too. He squandered the lead at the 50th Bob Hope Classic hosted by Arnold Palmer with a final-round 77 and had chances to win two other times before picking up his first victory in a playoff at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. Three starts later, Stricker won by three at the John Deere Classic, thanks in part to a career-low 61 in the third round. By the time the PGA TOUR Playoffs for the FedExCup rolled around, Stricker had spent time at No. 1 in the bonus competition and was ranked second to Woods. He had a chance to force a playoff at The Barclays before tying for second and going on to win the Deutsche Bank Championship with birdies on the final two holes. Stricker went on to finish third in the FedExCup -- one better than he had two years ago.


The little engine that could keeps going in 2010. Could be better now than he was early in his career.

Ranked first in putting average (1.726 per GIR), scrambling from under 30 yards (48.15 percent), approaches from 75-100 yards and approaches from 50-125 yards.

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