Steve Stricker recorded a historic 2023 season on the PGA Tour Champions. He received six instances, recorded 15 top-10 finishes in 16 begins, and took dwelling his first Charles Schwab Cup.
To cap off that unimaginable yr, Stricker swept the Champions Tour awards.
He was named the 2023 Jack Nicklaus Award because the Champions Tour Participant of the Yr on Tuesday night time on the annual awards dinner. Stricker additionally received the Arnold Palmer Award, given to the season cash chief. The ultimate award the 56-year-old claimed was the Byron Nelson Award, given to the participant who led the season in scoring common.
Stricker sat on prime of the standings for 25 of the 28 weeks of final season. He grew to become the third participant within the Champions Tour’s 44-season historical past to take a seat at No. 1 for a minimum of 25 weeks throughout a yr, becoming a member of Bernhard Langer in 2014 and Hale Irwin in 2002.
“What a privilege and what an honor to have received these particular awards,” Stricker stated. “I’m grateful that we’ve got the chance to compete in opposition to each other…The fervour that all of us need to play in opposition to the perfect at our age remains to be actually particular for all of us.”
In 2023, Stricker didn’t end decrease than fifteenth, and that occurred as soon as on the Constellation Furyk and Buddies occasion. Taking that event out of the image, Stricker’s different 15 begins all resulted in a T8 or higher.
The previous Ryder Cup captain extremely received three of the 5 majors in 2023 and was runner-up within the different two. Successful these majors acquired him and his daughter Izzy into the PNC Championship this previous December, the place they completed tenth.
Stricker set a single-season document by successful $3,986,063, beating out Langer’s 2017 winnings.
His season common was additionally a record-breaker at 67.54. Fred {Couples} beforehand held it at 67.96, set again in 2010.
The previous Illinois Illini additionally set the document for consecutive rounds of par or higher throughout any of the PGA Tour’s sanctioned leagues. He recorded 55 straight rounds from June 2022 to June 2023. Tiger Woods held the mark at 52, albeit on the PGA Tour, making it doubtlessly a bit extra spectacular.
Nonetheless, it was fairly the season for Stricker. He’ll look to construct off of that momentum within the first Champions Tour occasion of 2024 on the Hualalai Golf Course in Hawaii.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By means of. For extra golf protection, be sure you comply with us @_PlayingThrough on all main social platforms. It’s also possible to comply with her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.