Steve Stricker withdraws from Senior PGA Championship due to COVID-19

Steve Stricker’s comeback season will be put on hold.

The reigning U.S. Ryder Cup captain announced Tuesday that he has withdrawn from this week’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship due to COVID-19, halting his quest for a senior Grand Slam after his victory at the Regions Tradition earlier this month, the first of five 2022 PGA TOUR Champions majors. Stricker tested positive for COVID last Friday.

Stricker shared the news via his personal social media channels.

After losing 25 pounds last fall due to a mystery ailment, undergoing two separate hospital stints in the process, Stricker returned to PGA TOUR Champions action last month. It appeared as if the rust had been minimal. He was 3-for-3 in top-10 finishes, including a victory at the Regions Tradition two weeks ago, his fourth senior major title.

Stricker, who finished six strokes clear of Padraig Harrington at Greystone Golf & Country Club in Alabama, also holds the 2019 Regions Tradition, 2019 U.S. Senior Open and 2021 Bridgestone SENIOR PLAYERS Championship titles on his senior major resume. Stricker, 55, has won eight career PGA TOUR Champions titles, in addition to 12 PGA TOUR victories.

This week’s Senior PGA Championship is being contested at Harbor Shores GC in Benton Harbor, Michigan for the fifth time (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018). Stricker has made two prior Senior PGA starts, but never at Harbor Shores; he finished T41 in 2019 (Oak Hill CC) and T11 in 2021 (Southern Hills CC).