Round 3 - Steve Stricker wins second straight title

March 25, 2018

Steve Stricker pulled away on the back nine Sunday at Fallen Oak to win the Rapiscan Systems Classic for his second straight PGA Tour Champions victory.

The 51-year-old Stricker closed with a 4-under 68, birdieing all four par-5 holes on the Tom Fazio-designed layout with big and fast greens. He finished at 11-under 205 for a three-stroke victory over Billy Andrade.

''Anytime you're trying to win a golf tournament, it's challenging and tough,'' Stricker said. ''You've got nerves to deal with, and when things don't go well you think that you're not going to win. You've got to ride that emotional roller coaster and it was no different today. It was good to come down the stretch and hit the shots that I needed to hit down the stretch and finish it off the way I should.''

Stricker won the Cologuard Classic three weeks ago in Tucson, Arizona, for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour. He tied for 12th the following week in the PGA Tour's Valspar Championship, opposite the senior event in California that Vijay Singh won for his first senior title.

''When I start to play well, I'm fairly consistent,'' Stricker said. ''I just have been playing well so far this year. I've gotten off to some good starts, played well in a couple PGA Tour events, and then I've had chances to win out here.''

Stricker played the front nine in 1 under, with birdies on the par-5 first and sixth and a bogey on the par-4 fourth. He birdied the par-4 10th, bogeyed the par-4 11th, and put away the tournament with consecutive birdies on the par-4 12th, par-5 13th and par-4 15th.

''It's a challenge around here,'' Stricker said. ''There's a few good holes that you really have to avoid disaster. There's a couple par 3s that are very difficult. The wind is tricky at times.''

The Wisconsin player has seven top-three finishes in nine career senior starts. In addition to the two victories, he tied for second last month in his first Champions start of the year. In December, he teamed with Sean O'Hair to win the PGA Tour's unofficial QBE Shootout. Stricker has 12 PGA Tour victories and captained the winning U.S. Presidents Cup team last year.

He's playing the PGA Tour event in Houston next week, needing a victory to get into the Masters

''It's a totally different environment, it's different golf, it's a bigger course,'' Stricker said. ''It will be a challenge, but I'm in the best possible shape I can be mentally-wise. I feel good about my game and I'm going there with a little bit of confidence.''

Andrade closed with a 69.

''We just need Steve to stay on the regular tour,'' Andrade said. ''I mean, he doesn't need to come out here and ruin my spring. But I finished second here, this is my second time. I love the place and we're just so excited that we're playing here.''

Gene Sauers (66), Scott Parel (67), Jesper Parnevik (68) and David McKenzie (69) tied for third at 7 under.

Joe Durant, the first-round leader who began the round a stroke behind Stricker, had a 72 to tie for seventh with Billy Mayfair (67) at 6 under.

Bernhard Langer (66) was 5 under.

Sixty-year-old Jeff Sluman, a stroke back entering the round, shot a 74 to drop into a tie for 11th at 4 under. Two-time defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez had a 68 to tie for 33rd at even par.

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Round 2 - Steve Stricker takes 1-stroke lead in Rapiscan

March 24, 2018

Steve Stricker moved into position for his second straight PGA Tour Champions victory, shooting a 3-under 69 in gusting wind Saturday to take a one-stroke lead in the Rapiscan Systems Classic.

Stricker won the Cologuard Classic three weeks ago in Tucson, Arizona, for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour. He tied for 12th the following week in the PGA Tour's Valspar Championship.

''It was a tough day today. It was a grind out there,'' Stricker said. ''The wind made it very difficult. The greens are very quick, you just had to hit some shots. I made a couple putts on the back side that got things going a bit for me, so in a good spot heading into tomorrow.''

Stricker had a 7-under 137 total at Fallen Oak, the Tom Fazio-designed layout with big, speedy greens. First-round leader Joe Durant followed his opening 66 with a 72 to drop into a tie for second with Jeff Sluman (67). Stephen Ames (68) and Billy Andrade (70) were 5 under.

Stricker bogeyed Nos. 2-3, rebounded with birdies on Nos. 6-7, birdied the par-4 12th and ran in a 75-footer for eagle on the par-5 13th.

''Just trying to get it up there in a 3-foot circle, really, around that hole,'' Stricker said about the eagle. ''The wind was blowing pretty good at the time, and there's a lot of variables. Up the hill, it had a pretty big break to it. Just tried to lag it up there. Sometimes those are the ones that you end up making.''

The 51-year-old Wisconsin player has six top-three finishes in eight career senior starts, tying for second behind Durant in the Chubb Classic last month in Naples, Florida.

''I don't feel as much pressure, but still feel the pressure to try to win,'' Stricker said. ''It will be a challenge tomorrow for everybody who's up around the lead. I think we're going to get a little breezy day again tomorrow and the greens are still fast.''

Durant had an early double bogey and bogey.

''It was tough,'' Durant said. ''The wind was gusty and the greens were fast, so that combination makes it really difficult.''

The 60-year-old Sluman won the last of his six senior titles in 2014.

''Very, very difficult,'' Sluman said. ''I think our officials did a great job of setting the golf course up. We had a few tees up on really long holes that were into the wind.''

Mark Calcavecchia, a stroke back after a first-round 67, had a 75 that left him tied for eighth at 2 under.

Two-time defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez was tied for 45th at 4 over after a 76.

Round 1 - Joe Durant takes Rapiscan lead with 66

March 23, 2018

Joe Durant had three straight birdies in a back-nine burst and a shot 6-under 66 on Friday to take the first-round lead in the PGA Tour Champions' Rapiscan Systems Classic.

Durant birdied the par-4 11th and 12th and par-5 13th in the bogey-free round at breezy and rain-softened Fallen Oak. Because of the wet conditions, players were allowed to lift, clean and place their golf balls in the fairway.

''It just sets up nice to my eye,'' Durant said. ''It's a beautiful golf course and it's very challenging. The tee shots seem to set up well for me, but the greens are maybe as quick as I've ever seen them here. You really have to put the ball in the right spots. I played very nice today. With the wind swirling like it was, I'm really happy.''

He won the Chubb Classic last month in Naples, Florida, for his third victory on the 50-and-over tour.

''Done this long enough, Friday's just one day,'' Durant said. ''Especially in a three-day tournament, you've got to go out and shoot three good numbers. Fortunate to put one on the board, but I know I have to back it up with a couple of good days because you can get passed very quickly out here.''

Mark Calcavecchia was a stroke back. He won last month in Boca Raton, Florida

''It's probably my best round I've ever had here and it was a tough day to play,'' Calcavecchia said. ''The greens are just lightning fast. They're pretty slopey greens, so very difficult to putt.''

Steve Stricker was third at 68. He took the Tucson, Arizona, event three weeks ago for his first senior victory.

''Just getting it around and managing my game I think like I always do,'' Stricker said. ''You get in the wrong position here with the greens being so fast and you're going to be in trouble. I did that a couple times today.''

Billy Mayfair, Billy Andrade and David McKenzie shot 69. Jerry Kelly, the winner of the season-opening event in Hawaii, was at 70 with Wes Short Jr., Glen Day, Gene Sauers and Jesper Parnevik.

Bernhard Langer opened with a 71, and two-time defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez had a 72.

Vijay Singh, coming off his first senior victory two weeks ago in Newport Beach, California, had a 73.

Scores