With weather forcing a series of stop-and-starts to the normal flow of the tournament, Steve Stricker still managed to burn up the Greystone golf course in a rain-extended Monday final round of the Regions Tradition. Heading into the second round Friday, Stricker was merely in contention. But he then set a course record with a 64 and grabbed a lead that he never relinquished.
Play was suspended on Sunday, following nearly an inch of rain and several additional days of saturation of the course. But the sun came out for the final day, making conditions dry, cool and perfect for play. Stricker took advantage of this, finishing the day at 4-under par — 18-under for the tournament.
Stricker, who’s slated to be the Ryder Cup captain for this year’s U.S. team, grabbed his first major win at the Regions Tradition, the first major of the PGA TOUR Champions 2019 schedule.
David Toms, Billy Andrade and Paul Goydos finished in a three-way tie for second. They could only watch as Stricker extended his lead on Monday to win the tournament by six strokes.
In accepting the winner’s trophy, Stricker praised the grounds crew for their work in getting the course playable following the rains on Sunday. He also thanked the PGA TOUR Champions, as well as Greystone and Regions Bank for their support of the tournament.
After winning his first major, Stricker’s reaction was simple: “It means a lot!”
Since Regions took sponsorship of the Tradition in 2011, the tournament has been a major for the PGA TOUR Champions. It’s raised more than $5 million for local charities, with the largest levels of support going to Children’s of Alabama.
