Steve Stricker

Residence: Madison, Wisconsin

DOB: 23/02/1967

A 1990 graduate of the University of Illinois and Wisconsin State Golf Association Hall of Famer Steve Stricker comes from a family of golfers. His wife Nicki was his caddie throughout his professional career until she gave up the bag in 1998 to deliver daughter Bobbi Maria but was soon back on the bag at the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1999. His father-in-law Dennis Tiziani is the retired golf coach at University of Wisconsin while Brother-in-law Mario Tiziani played on the PGA Tour in 2005. Stricker turned professional in 1990 and has won 4 times on the PGA Tour. His most successful season came in 1996, when he recorded 2 victories (Kemper Open, Motorola Western Open) and 9 top-10 finishes on his way to finishing 4th on the PGA Tour money list. Stricker's most prestigious win came at the 2001 WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, where he defeated Pierre Fulke 2 & 1 to earn the $1,000,000 prize. He ended an 11-span for a win on home turf when he won The Barclays tournament in 2007. The closet he has come to a major came in 1998 when he played himself into contention in the final round of the PGA Championship. He was denied victory after a surge on the back 9 by Vijay Singh who went on to claim a 2 shot victory. Largely due to his seven top-10 finishes, Steve was voted PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year in 2006. He continued this renewed form throughout the following season, qualifying for the US Presidents Cup squad and after his victory at The Barclays he reached a high of 4th in the Official World Golf Rankings. Stricker finished runner-up in the 2007 FedEx Cup Playoffs to Tiger Woods and as a result was again voted PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year. In the opening event of the 2008 season, Stricker lost out in a play-off to Daniel Chopra after an outstanding 64 in the final round gave him a shot at the title. This result took Stricker temporally to 3rd in the world rankings. He secured another top-10 finish in the following week at the Sony Open in Hawaii. The season finished on a high for Stricker as a member of the United States team who beat the European in the Ryder Cup in Valhalla. Stricker got a rough ride from US captain as he was placed up against some formidable European pairings, only managing to secure a ½ point from his 3 matches.