Stricker stays within in striking distance of Clark before snatching victory on second hole of playoff
FORT WORTH - Tim Clark clutched his putter and stared at the ground with disappointment. His chance to win his first major was several feet out of his reach in the form of a putt but he was unable to sink it as the ball skirted just left of the hole on the 18th green in the first hole of a playoff.
After it was all said and done on 18, Steve Stricker and Steve Marino was given new life with the miss and they headed back to the tee box on 17 for a playoff with the crowd roaring their approval of the exciting finish.
Stricker and Clark sent their drives straight down the fairway while Marino found himself veering into the trees. Stricker then followed his drive with a shot that landed just a few feet from the pin. Clark lofted his shot right at the pin but his incredibly accurate shot hit the flagstick and ended up about 20 feet away as a result of the carom.
Stricker would then seize the opportunity. He stepped up and sank his putt to win the 2009 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. "It's always tense coming down to the stretch, the final few holes of a tournament when you are in contention", said Stricker. "That's what makes winning difficult and hard to do. Sometimes we take for granted what Tiger has done, or what Phil has done. You know they make it look fairly simple at times and for the average player out here, it's a very difficult thing to do."
Tim Clark would probably tend to agree after letting his chance at victory slip away but Stricker knew Clark would be up to the challenge heading into the second playoff hole. "You know, I took dead aim. I tried to hit it in there, and I pulled it off. You know, in a playoff situation you almost have to do that", said Stricker. "Just look at Tim, he hit a great shot in there at 18, and he hit the flag at 17 again."
Prior to his win, Stricker had five top-10 fnishes this season, including some tough losses that could have easily resulted in wins.
Stricker had once considered retiring from the game but instead he went to work on his swing with a determination to find success on the PGA tour once again. "You know, I'm fortunate enough to come back from a time when I wasn't playing so well and this last four years has been very special and it's been a lot of hard work", he said with his emotions evident over the huge win.
Now his name will be forever etched in the Wall of Champions at the Colonial Invitational, right along side legends of the game like Ben Hogan. "It makes it all worth it when stuff like this happens and when you win."
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