Golf:Steve Stricker overcame an early stumble and a late charge from England's Luke Donald to win the Northern Trust Open and wrest the world number two ranking from fellow American Phil Mickelson.
Stricker, who blew chances to win last year's tournament when he bogeyed his last hole to go into a losing play-off against Mickelson, shot a one-under 70 for a 16-under total of 268 to finish two shots ahead of Donald at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles.
The win, Stricker's eighth tour victory, gave the American a €838,000 winner's cheque and a chance to shoot for the top ranking in the absence of Tiger Woods, who has taken an indefinite break from the tour in the wake of revelations about his
marital infidelities.
"I think if I would have set this goal back about six years ago, if I would have told anybody they would have said you're crazy," said Stricker, who would need at least two more victories to displace Woods.
"But I put a lot of hard work into it. It just means a lot."
Stricker had to return to the course early yesterday to finish his third round which had been suspended due to bad light. He had a five-stroke lead with four holes remaining and extended it to six going into the final round.
Although the lead looked insurmountable, Stricker stumbled early on and Donald, who has posted top 10 finishes in the past two years here, took advantage.
Donald two-putted from 30 feet for birdie on the par five first hole and then made an 11-footer on the third to cut the lead to four.
Stricker missed a five-foot putt to save par on the following hole and Donald reduced the lead to two when he made a six-foot birdie on the fifth.
Stricker rallied, however, with a run of birdies starting on the eighth. He drained a nine-foot birdie on the ninth then extended his lead to three after a 12-foot birdie on the 11th.
Dustin Johnson, who finished a stroke behind Donald with fellow American J.B. Holmes, also threatened with a run of four birdies in five holes but Stricker held on for victory.
The American missed a makeable birdie on the 17th last year before his final hole meltdown led to a galling loss to Mickelson.
"You put them in your memory bank, I guess," he said. "You look back at them and make sure that you try not to do the same things."
Having struggled off the tee and on the fairway, Stricker's putting and short game saved him when he appeared on the verge of being overhauled. The American bogeyed the 12th, but grinded out six consecutive pars to close out the win.
"I knew some good things were happening throughout the week," added Stricker.
"I didn't know I was going to win the tournament, but some kind of magical things were happening along the way."
Pádraig Harrington missed the cut in his first tournament of the year.
-Reuters