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Stricker narrowly makes U.S. Open cut

SAN DIEGO — Up against missing the cut and with few options, Steve Stricker hit his best shot of the week and with it earned a ticket into the weekend of the 108th U.S. Open on the South course at Torrey Pines.

Stricker, 41, entered Friday’s second round having made only one cut in the last seven events and missing the only cut in a major this year when he failed to break par at the Masters in April.

Stricker was looking at a similar fate as he reached the final hole on Friday, the reachable par-five 18th. Stricker was holding steady at 8-over-par for the championship and 6-over-par for the day, but with a fluid cut that was tied to the leader’s performance due to the 10-shot rule, Stricker’s 8-under-par was in jeopardy.

Aware of the situation, Stricker made a calculated gamble, the type of gambles he had made many times during the past two years when he came back from golf oblivion to earn consecutive PGA Tour Comeback Player of the Year honors in 2006 and 2007.

The gamble was also something he was unwilling to make just a day earlier when he decided to lay up on the par-5, 18th hole from 230 yards. On reflection after his first round, Stricker said he was in between clubs and would have to hit a big cut to the back right hole location. Instead, he decided to lay-up and would miss his birdie putt.

Friday with making the cut on the line, Stricker pulled the same rescue club and just cleared the water, leaving himself a 10-foot putt for eagle.

“I was thinking about making birdie,” Stricker said. “I obviously wanted to make the (eagle) putt to move up the board as much as possible. But that putt had no chance. I mean I tapped that thing and that thing broke eight different ways on the way down there.”

Stricker’s gamble turned out to be the difference as leader Stuart Appleby made a long birdie putt on the same hole to move to 3-under-par, sending home those at 8 over par.

If the 18th was the highlight, the other 17 holes had numerous low spots. Stricker started his second round again struggling on the front nine, making three bogeys on the par 4 first, fifth and sixth holes to fall from 2-over-par where he started the day to 5-over-par. The lone birdie came on the par 3 eighth hole.

The back nine didn’t go any better with bogeys on the par-4 10th, 12th and 14th. The double bogey on the 12th was a microcosm of Stricker’s poor judgment over the last two months.

“I just got done talking to a friend of mine about taking your lumps,” Stricker said. “I drove it in the left bunker (on the 12th hole) and I tried to make a hero shot with a utility club out of there and I hit the lip and from there I would go on to make a double bogey. So you’ve just got to realize that when you hit it in the rough, or in the bunkers, just take your medicine and get it up there and try to at least give your self a 15-footer or less for par. At the worst thing you’re going to do is make a bogey and then you go on.”

Stricker now faces an uphill climb, 10 shots behind the leader, Australian Stuart Appleby, but maybe, more important, nine shots behind world No. 1 Tiger Woods. Stricker is paired with Oklahoma State University rising sophomore Rickie Fowler at 11 a.m. CST in Saturday’s third round.

“My 5-over round today wasn’t great, but it got me into the weekend,” Stricker said. “If I can post a couple of good numbers, I can move up quite a bit.”