By Loyd McIntosh, For The Tribune
BIRMINGHAM – Steve Stricker demonstrated his command of the Founders Course at Greystone Country Club, running away with the PGA TOUR Champions 2023 The Tradition May 11-14.
Stricker sank birdie after birdie on Saturday and Sunday as all challengers faded from view as he collected his The Tradition championship in a row.
Stricker has now captured 13 PGA TOUR Champions titles, eclipsing his total of 12 he earned on the regular PGA Tour during his career. He has also dominated The Tradition since joining the PGA TOUR Champions circuit in 2018.
The 56-year-old from Wisconsin seriously began his defense of his 2022 title after sinking four straight birdies on the final four holes during the third round on Saturday, matching the torrid pace set by Robert Karlsson’s who shot a hot third round. Karlsson, now in his third season on the PGA TOUR Champions, shot a 9-under 63 on Saturday, matching the lowest score since The Tradition moved to the Greystone Founders Course in 2009.
Stricker caught up with Karlsson by finishing the third round on Saturday by birdying the par-5 18th hole to cap off his four-birdie string and close out the round bogey-free. The pair started the fourth and final round on Sunday -16, two strokes ahead of Padrick Harrington.
On Sunday, Strickler started the final round with the same rhythm he completed the third round on Saturday, running away with the lead while Karlsson faded. Sticker dazzled on the front nine birdying the first three holes, and four of the fist five, en route to -4 as he started the back nine.
As he headed into the final stretch, only a complete collapse would keep Stricker from earning his third The Tradition championship. After shooting for par on the par 3 10th hole, Stricker rang up two consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th, both par 4 holes.
After shooting for par on 13th, Stricker needed four strokes to complete the par 3 14th, only his fourth bogey in the tournament. By this point, however, Stricker had pulled away from the competition, leading eventual second-place finisher, Ernie Ells, by six strokes. He then birded the 15th and 16th holes and shot for par on the 17th and 18th, completed the round at -7 and finished the tournament at -23 while Ells and Karlsson tied for second place at -17.
The victory is Stricker’s third The Tradition title and his best performance on the course. Stricker won his first The Tradition championship in 2019 shooting 270 and -18, outpacing three competitors – Billy Andrade, Paul Goydos, and David Toms – by six strokes.
Following the cancellation of the 2020 The Tradition due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Stricker finished in second place to Alex Čejka of Germany in a playoff in the 2021 The Tradition. The narrow loss in 2021 essentially kept Stricker from claiming four straight The Tradition titles.
The Tradition, one of the four major tournaments on the PGA TOUR Champions seniors circuit, moved from Oregon to Birmingham in 2011. The tournament was initially played at Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club and moved to Greystone in 2016.
The Tradition continued Birmingham’s PGA TOUR Champions legacy, taking over for the Regions Charity Classic which originated in 1992 as the Bruno’s Memorial Classic.