Stricker stretches lead to six at Riviera
By DOUG FERGUSONAssociated Press
LOS ANGELES – Steve Stricker returned to Riviera and kept right on rolling Sunday morning with two more birdies for a 5-under 66 that gave him a six-shot lead going into the final round of the Northern Trust Open.
Stricker had a 30-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole when play was stopped by darkness Saturday. He returned to make the putt in chilly temperatures, then hit 7-iron to 4 feet on the par-3 16th hole for another birdie.
His streak of 32 holes without a bogey at Riviera ended on the 18th when he missed the green to the left and chipped to 12 feet. Even so, he had a comfortable margin as he tries to win and move up to No. 2 in the world ranking.
Stricker was at 15-under 198, six ahead of Andres Romero (70), Luke Donald (66) and J.B. Holmes (67).
The final round was to begin on schedule Sunday under sunny conditions. The Northern Trust Open is the final event to qualify for the Match Play Championship, with several players – Ben Curtis, Chad Campbell and Scott Verplank among them – on the bubble.
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strugglin' on 02/07/2010, at 2:18 PM EST
“Why is "lefty loser" ranked #2 on tour? ALL these guys that always came in behind had two golden opportunities to charge ahead and make a statement, when he was off for knee surgery and the present. And what happens....NOTHING. No clear leader out there, just whoever happens to be hot that given weekend. Like it or not, over the long haul, Tiger is still the man for consistency. Sucks but true!”