BY DOUG FERGUSON | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ADVERTISING KAPALUA, Maui — Steve Stricker, considered the best putter on the PGA Tour, felt as though he couldn’t miss Saturday at Kapalua. That meant big trouble for the rest of the field
BY DOUG FERGUSON | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KAPALUA, Maui — Steve Stricker, considered the best putter on the PGA Tour, felt as though he couldn’t miss Saturday at Kapalua. That meant big trouble for the rest of the field at the Tournament of Champions.
Stricker made even some of the longer putts look like tap-ins on his way to a 10-under 63, giving him a five-shot lead over Webb Simpson halfway through the PGA Tour’s season-opener.
Stricker played the final five holes in 5 under, which included a 3-wood up the hill and into a blazing sun that settled about 12 feet away for eagle. That allowed Stricker to get some separation from Simpson, and from the amazing eagle-eagle finish by Kevin Na.
Stricker was at 15-under 131, two shots off the 36-hole record that Ernie Els set in 2003.
Na, six strokes back at 9 under, wasn’t even part of the picture until he holed a 5-iron from 221 yards for eagle on the 554-yard 17th hole, then hit 3-wood down the hill on the par-5 18th to about 10 feet for another eagle.
“I think it’ll be the best finish of my life,” Na said.
It turned a good round into a 64, and it at least kept Na in the hunt against a 27-man field that suddenly felt much smaller when Stricker put together a strong finish of his own.
Only eight players were within 10 shots of Stricker.
As much as he loves starting his year in Kapalua — this is his third straight trip, the longest streak of anyone in the field — Stricker has yet to hoist a trophy with a lei draped around his neck. He took a big step toward that on another day of glorious sunshine.
Starting with a simple up-and-down on the par-5 ninth, Stricker was 7 under over the last 10 holes.
“I felt like I was going to make every putt I looked at for a while,” Stricker said.
