Chubb Classic: Steve Stricker making debut in Naples -- for Champions Tour anyway

Back in 2012, Kenny Perry was dubbed the Mayor of Naples after he won the then-ACE Group Classic and followed that up later in the year with the then-Franklin Templeton Shootout -- the third time he won that tournament -- in Naples.

Steve Stricker can get his shot to unseat Perry, who's out indefinitely after shoulder surgery, this week.

Stricker already has the Shootout part out of the way. He won the PGA Tour team event with Sean O'Hair -- coincidentally Perry's teammate when he won --  back in December at Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort. 

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The 50-year-old will make his Chubb Classic debut on the PGA Tour Champions at TwinEagles.

"It was a team competition so Sean played great and we teamed well together," Stricker said. "But when you come back to a place that you like and you enjoy and you've had a little bit of success -- I won with Jerry Kelly there (in 2009) at the Shootout as well -- it always brings back good memories, and you enjoy the area and it helps in playing well, too.

"(It's) another reason why I'm here, because we like being here."

Stricker, who has joined both Calusa Pines Golf Club and Naples National Golf Club, could've played his third straight PGA Tour event in Los Angeles this week, but opted for Naples.

"We enjoy our time down here so much," Stricker said. "Nicki and my youngest daughter are here, and my oldest daughter (Bobbi Maria, a sophomore at Wisconsin) was here over the weekend before I got here. We just enjoy being down here. And the weather looks great, so we chose warmer weather, less traffic and came here instead."

Stricker played in six Champions Tour events last year after turning 50 on Feb. 23. He was in the top three or better in four of the six, with a second place in Tucson.

Stricker told The Associated Press he plans on playing 15 or so regular tour events. Not having the duties of being the U.S. Presidents Cup captain this year like he did in 2017, leaves him more time to play more.

"I'm feeling good and my game is trending in the right direction," he said. "I hadn't played (a non-team event) since last August when I played Northern Trust."

Stricker tied for 31st in Phoenix, then for 26th at Pebble Beach on Sunday, shooting a 76 in the final round.

"I did a lot of good things, really three good rounds each tournament, and then always one little hiccup round in there somewhere so kind of cost me some good finishes out there," he said.

With only three rounds in almost every Champions Tour event, that possibly removes the chance of a hiccup round, but also means there's less time to make up ground, something Stricker is adjusting to.

"I think it's a different mentality altogether," he said. "You need to be aggressive. You need to get off to a good start. You don't want to get behind out here because a lot of guys are shooting low. You want to make sure that you don't need a hero round to come back and try to finish well or win the tournament.

Paul Goydos, who won twice on the regular tour and five times on the Champions, knows what having Stricker in the field means.

"It hurts my pocketbook," he quipped. "He's still pretty competitive. He was in pretty good shape last week. He's a well-known player."

The always-interesting Goydos not surprisingly had an interesting take on Stricker's career, which includes 12 regular tour victories, versus his own.

"The difference between a guy winning (12) times and I won two on the regular tour is much greater than say, a guy like me who won two and a guy who never made it," Goydos said. "I'm much closer to that guy than to Stricker. The eliteness of our game is really elite.

"... I won two. The guy who won six times didn't play three times better than me -- he played 10 times better than me. The guy who won 12 didn't play six times better, he played 60 times better than me. The guy who won no times, but had his card for 10 years, I played a little better than him. I don't think that's communicated very well in this sport."

Even though Stricker has perhaps spent more time than almost everyone in the field in Naples, he had not played TwinEagles' Talon Course until squeezing in a practice round with Billy Mayfair on Tuesday.

"It's like my rookie year all over again," Stricker said. "Even though I went through some of this last year, it's still a different feel when I come out here. It's all familiar faces that I see, but courses that I haven't played, areas that I'm not accustomed to. It's about learning things again and trying to figure it all out again."

Chubb Classic

When: Through Sunday

Where: TwinEagles Club

Info: chubbclassic.com, 593-3900