Winning Ways

By Matt Cooper Last updated: 8th February 2010

STEVE STRICKER - NORTHERN TRUST OPEN CHAMPION

In the bag

Driver - Titleist 909D3
Fairway-wood - Titleist 906F2
Hybrid - Titleist 909 H
Irons - Titleist 755
Wedges - Titleist 200 series & Vokey Special Grind
Putter - Odyssey White Hot #2
Ball - Titleist ProV1

Turning point

Play on Friday and Saturday was made difficult by appalling weather. It was so bad that Stricker compared it to the infamous storm encountered by the field at Muirfield in the 2002 Open Championship.

All that was lacking, said Stricker, was the wind - otherwise the wet, cold conditions were very similar.

As a consequence the golf was stop-start and the third round wasn't concluded until Sunday morning.

No-one coped with the difficulty and disruption like Stricker did. Seven golfers completed their second and third rounds in six-under par but no-one came close to Stricker's total of 11-under par.

That is a good 36-hole score by any standard but in the circumstances it set him apart from the field.

Stats

Perhaps not surprisingly (given his habit all week of chipping in from off the green), Stricker led the Putts per Round stats. He needed just 26 putts in round one, a mere 22 in round two and 28 in the final two rounds.

But he was also hot with the flat-stick when hunting the birdies, ranking third for Putts per Greens in Regulation with an average of 1.63.

Insight

There is a distinct trend to Stricker's career wins and recent form - but whether you can make any sense of it is anyone's guess.

The trend is simple; it is providing a valid reason for it that is difficult. Put simply, Stricker excels on par 71 courses.

He now has seven PGA Tour victories (plus one WGC World Matchplay title at the Metropolitan GC in Melbourne) and of those seven wins no less than five have been on par 71s.

Coincidence? Well, on the one hand that's quite a percentage. On the other hand what on earth could be so distinctive about such courses that bring out the best in him?!

Whatever it is, he has wins at Avenel, Westchester, Deere Run, Boston and now Riviera. Bizarrely one of his wins (at Cog Hill) came on a course that has subsequently become a par 71 (it was a par 72 when he won there in 1996).

And if you think his career wins represent nothing more than a quirk, consider his form over the last three years in which time he has made 19 starts on these courses and has four wins, another four top four finishes and only six efforts that weren't top 14.

In his words

When Stricker teed off in the final round he had a six shot lead over the field. You think that made things easy? Think again. It just replaced one set of doubts and fears (can I do it?) with another (can I blow it?).

"The position I was in," Stricker said afterwards, "it was a good one. I mean, a six-shot lead. But if I don't win the tournament, you're going to be looked upon as the guy that didn't finish it off."

"Those thoughts run through your head, and the guys from behind, they have nothing to lose, and I knew that, too. They'd be firing at the flags.

"So I kind of started the round trying not to make a mistake, and that's tough to play that way. That round seemed to last forever. It just was very difficult. It's much easier coming from behind and trying to apply the pressure than it is to try to hang onto a lead."

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ - OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC WINNER

In the bag

Driver - Ping Rapture
Fairway-woods - Ping TEC (3, 5 and 7)
Irons - Ping S57
Wedges - Ping Tour-W and Tour-W TS
Putter - Ping Redwood Answer (Black Satin)

Turning point

When Alvaro Quiros led the event on 11-under par and hit the par-five 13th green in two the event was not in his control, but he had a tight grip.

However the 30 minutes that followed will cause the young Spaniard some sleepless nights this week. He raced the eagle putt past the hole and failed to convert the birdie coming back.

He then three-putted the next two greens to first drop into the pack and then behind his compatriot Jimenez.

On a day in which the leaders all struggled to beat par it became a test of patience and the elder statesman of Iberian golf remained unflappable.

Even the play-off was a messy affair, full of as many terrible shots as good ones but Jimenez eventually prevailed.

Stats

The Spaniard's victory was built on his ability to hit the putting surface in the fewest strokes as he ranked fourth in Greens in Regulation throughout the tournament.

But it is interesting that he also ranked first for Sand Saves. The stats don't include the play-off and yet his successful scramble for par from the bunker on the second play-off hole enabled him to remain in with a chance of victory.

And yet it was not his skill with the sand wedge that allowed him to save par on that occasion. In fact he hit his sand shot fat and left himself an 18 foot par putt.

He nailed that with a fearless strike that maintained his 100% record in getting up and down from the desert sand.

Insight

It is a curiosity of top level golf that players often excel soon after taking on a new caddie. Of course, the true effect of the new partnership might not be quite as significant as we often imagine - we notice the new duos that win and very rarely comment on (let alone know of) the ones that fail to ignite immediately.

But Jimenez's win was yet another example of a new caddie working instant magic, albeit with a slightly different spin.

The Spaniard went separate ways with his old caddie Henrik last week and in Dubai his looper was his South African friend Mark who lives in the Middle East.

"He has caddied before and he knows the game very well," explained Jimenez. "We are very close friends. And that's what you need on the golf course; then you feel happy and so that he can understand you and know you."

Will he be continuing to carry the bag, the press asked.

"No," laughed the winner, "He has got his family here, his business here. I make the offer to him but his wife say, 'no'."

In his words

Golfers like to think that the sport is one for all ages and the Dubai Desert Classic was an example of this in microcosm.

For all the promise and excitement of young talent such as Rory McIlroy and Alvaro Quiros it was the old boys who prevailed with 60-year-old Tom Watson finishing in the top ten and the winner Jimenez did not overlook the experience factor.

"Like a good wine, with age, I get better and better," said Jiménez. "I feel comfortable on the golf course - that is key. I am not 25 or 30, I have just turned 46 but I'm still healthy and still strong. Not like I was when I was 25, but still strong and I can still play the ball. And if I feel happy and can focus, then you can win.

"I have been coming to Dubai for many years and had a few chances to win and now I have it, I feel very pleased and very happy."

AROUND THE WORLD:

ASIAN TOUR
Gaganjeet Bhullar - Asian Tour International Winner

The 21-year-old Indian started the final round six shots off the lead but shot a course record eight-under par 64 to win his first Asian Tour title. The stellar effort included one eagle, six birdies and no dropped shots. The exciting youngster now has two wins and three second placed finishes in his last 16 starts - enough to make him the second highest ranked Indian in the world rankings (behind Jeev Milkha Singh).

NATIONWIDE TOUR
Jim Herman - Moonah Classic Winner

Two seasons on the Nationwide Tour have reaped very little for the one-time Donald Trump employee Herman. He arrived in Australia having missed his previous seven cuts, but with some hope because the only previous occasions had broken the top five at this level (in 55 starts) also came outside America - in Panama and New Zealand last year. A course record 62 in round one set up his victory and he eventually prevailed over Chris Kirk in a play-off.

Matt Cooper