Aug 22, 2023

Steve Stricker’s sensational season shows no signs of slowing

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Written by Connor Stange

As PGA TOUR Champions heads into the final third of the 2023 schedule, 56-year-old Steve Stricker is in the midst of one of the greatest individual seasons in the history of the Champions Tour. Here’s a closer look at his dominance in majors and a by-the-numbers breakdown of his performance in 2023:

Dominance in majors

With his victory at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio, in July – his last start on PGA TOUR Champions – Stricker became the fourth player in Champions Tour history to win three majors in a season. Stricker won the Regions Tradition (May 11-14), KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship (May 25-28) and Kaulig Companies Championship (July 13-16). In his only other major start in 2023, Stricker finished second at the U.S. Senior Open (June 29-July 2). He did not play in The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex (July 27-30).

Most single-season major wins in PGA TOUR Champions history
Player Major WinsYear
Gary Player31988
Jack Nicklaus31991
Bernhard Langer32017
Steve Stricker32023

Stricker increased his majors total on PGA TOUR Champions to seven with his three titles in 2023. He passed several on the all-time major wins list during his recent stretch including World Golf Hall of Fame members Lee Trevino (four), Raymond Floyd (four), Arnold Palmer (five) and Tom Watson (six).

Most major wins in PGA TOUR Champions history
RankPlayer Major Wins
1Bernhard Langer 12
2Gary Player9
3Jack Nicklaus8
T4Steve Stricker7
T4Hale Irwin7
6Tom Watson6

Stricker has won nearly half of his starts in majors on PGA TOUR Champions with a winning percentage of 41.2%. It is the highest among players with seven or more starts in senior majors, and nearly double the winning percentage of No. 2 Alex Cejka (21.4%).

Highest Winning Percentage in Majors on PGA TOUR Champions
RankPlayerWin %WinsStarts
1Steve Stricker41.2%717
2Alex Cejka21.4%314
3Bernhard Langer16.9%1271
4Jack Nicklaus15.4%852

(Note: Among players with seven or more starts)

Historic season

Stricker’s five victories in 2023 are tied for the 14th-most in a single season on PGA TOUR Champions. Since 2000, only two players have more wins in a season on the Champions Tour: Bernhard Langer (seven wins in 2017) and Larry Nelson (six wins in 2000).

Including last year, Stricker is the reigning champion at eight events. In addition to his five victories this season, Stricker won three events in 2022 that haven’t been played yet in 2023.

Most Single-Season Wins in PGA TOUR Champions History
RankPlayerSeasonWins
T1Hale Irwin19979
Peter Thomson19859
T3Bernhard Langer20177
Bruce Fleisher19997
Hale Irwin19987
Lee Trevino19907
Chi Chi Rodriguez19877
Bruce Crampton19867
T9Larry Nelson20006
Gil Morgan19986
Gil Morgan19976
Lee Trevino19946
Don January19836
T14Steve Stricker20235
13 other instancesVarious years5

Through 13 starts in 2023, Stricker has earned $3,593,060 to build a commanding lead in the Charles Schwab Cup standings. He is $84,300 away from setting the single-season record for money earned on PGA TOUR Champions. The current record of $3,677,359 was set by Langer in 2017.

This season, Stricker has a lead of $1,933,705 over Charles Schwab No. 2 Langer, which is larger than Langer’s lead over the player in last place ($1,658,239).

Most single-season money won in PGA TOUR Champions history
RankPlayerSeasonMoney
1Bernhard Langer2017$3,677,359
2Steve Stricker2023$3,593,060
3Steven Alker2022$3,544,425
4Padraig Harrington2022$3,293,255
5Bernhard Langer2020-21$3,255,499

Through 43 rounds in 2023, Stricker is on pace to set the single-season scoring average record on PGA TOUR Champions. His 67.44 scoring average is ahead of the current record (67.96), set by Fred Couples in 2010.

Lowest single-season scoring average in PGA TOUR Champions history
RankPlayerSeasonScoring Average
1Fred Couples201067.96
2Bernhard Langer201768.03
3Bernhard Langer201468.03
4Steven Alker202268.27
5Bernhard Langer201668.31

(Note: Stricker’s 2023 scoring average through 13 starts is 67.44.)

Stricker vs. The field

In his 13 starts this season on PGA TOUR Champions, Stricker has beaten or tied 1,101 of 1,121 competitors (98.22%). He has finished in the top two in 10 of 13 starts (76.9%).

In his last six starts, all top-two finishes, Stricker has beaten or tied 616 of 618 competitors (99.68%).

Where Stricker stacks up in the world of golf

In two of the ranking systems that include all players in the world, Stricker is ranked inside the top 50. He is ranked 50th in the world by Data Golf and 26th in the world by The Universal Golf Rankings (TUGR).

The Data Golf Rankings are determined by averaging the field-strength adjusted scores of each golfer across professional and amateur tournaments, with more recent rounds receiving more weight.

The TUGR is determined by head-to-head scores, player-by-player over the past 18 months, and the output is relative strokes per round to the best player in the world.

Stricker’s streaks

Stricker has an active streak of 17 consecutive top-10 finishes on PGA TOUR Champions, which ranks tied for fourth on the all-time list, and is the longest streak on the Champions Tour since Langer in 2013-14. Stricker is 19 away from tying the PGA TOUR Champions record, set by Don January (1980-84).

Most consecutive top-10 finishes in PGA TOUR Champions history
PlayerConsecutive Top 10sTimespan
Don January361980-84
Hale Irwin231997-98
Bernhard Langer202013-14
Miller Barber171984-85
Peter Thomson171985
Chi Chi Rodriguez171985-86
Steve Stricker172022-present
Lee Elder161984-85
Bruce Crampton161986
Hale Irwin161995-96
Bob Charles151988
Raymond Floyd151994-95

Stricker has an active streak of six consecutive top-two finishes on PGA TOUR Champions, which ranks second on the all-time list. He’s one away from tying the PGA TOUR Champions record, set by Don January in 1983.

Most consecutive top-two finishes (on PGA TOUR-sanctioned tours)
PlayerFinishesTOUR
Byron Nelson11PGA TOUR
Sam Snead9PGA TOUR
Tiger Woods8PGA TOUR
Ben Hogan8PGA TOUR
Denny Shute7PGA TOUR
Don January7PGA TOUR Champions
Steve Stricker6*PGA TOUR Champions
Jim Barnes6PGA TOUR

(*denotes active streak)

Earlier this season, Stricker set the record for most consecutive rounds of par or better across all PGA TOUR-sanctioned tours with 55. His streak, which started with a 6-under 65 in the final round of the 2022 U.S. Senior Open, was snapped with a 1-over-par 71 in the first round of the 2023 U.S. Senior Open.

Most consecutive rounds of par or better (PGA TOUR Champions)
PlayerTotalTimespan
Steve Stricker552022-23
Jerry Kelly412022-23
Jay Haas412014
Steven Alker392021-22
Colin Montgomerie382016-17

Most consecutive rounds of par or better (PGA TOUR-sanctioned tours)
PlayerTotalTour
Steve Stricker55PGA TOUR Champions
Tiger Woods52PGA TOUR
Lee Hodges48Korn Ferry Tour
Jerry Kelly41PGA TOUR Champions
Jay Haas41PGA TOUR Champions
Anders Albertson41Korn Ferry Tour

Most consecutive rounds of par or better to start a season (PGA TOUR Champions)
PlayerTotalSeason
Steve Stricker352023
Jerry Kelly252017
Jerry Kelly232023
Fred Couples232017
Jay Haas232014
Loren Roberts232007
Gil Morgan232004

(Note: none are active streaks)

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