John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Be wary. Semi-retirement can, indeed, be dangerous – just ask Steve Stricker. The man that is playing a minimal PGA Tour schedule this year so as to spend more time with his family has gone and injured himself. That’s what he gets for skipping the British Open.
Stricker skipped the Open Championship to take his wife skiing for their anniversary. During that – what I’m assuming was romantic – trip, Stricker tore his hamstring while on the slopes. Ouch. Few things have the ability to kill the mood as much as blown hammy.
But Stricker is still looking on the bright side. “Just a little bit of a freak accident, my right leg kind of went out on me. I got pulled forward and I felt the pop, and I knew I had done something. I’m fortunate really that it’s not a knee issue.”
The injury wasn’t bad enough to keep Stricker from teeing it up at the WGC – Bridgestone Invitational this week. He’s not really showing many signs that the injury is impacting his golf game much, either. Stricker is currently two under par after two rounds and is 11 shots off of the lead held by Tiger Woods. He is only four shots off of the duo tied for second place. At this point, it’s pretty much a given that Woods is going to run away with this one.
“I’m surprised that I’m here; I’m surprised how well it’s recovering. It’s doing better every day,” he said. He better hope the injury keeps improving – otherwise it’s going to be difficult for him to grab the win at next week’s PGA Championship. Here’s to hoping that Stricker heals fully and quickly.
Carl Conrad is the Senior Golf Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter or add him to your network on Google.
