Steve Stricker hopes seven weeks off before the Presidents Cup will help his ailing left arm. Stricker has experienced muscle weakness in the arm, injured while bow hunting for deer, which caused him to withdraw from last week’s BMW Championship. He had a cortisone shot Monday and is 3 under par after three rounds of the Tour Championship.
“I plan on playing,” Stricker said of the international team competition in Australia in November. “I really do.”
Stricker said he was frustrated after Friday’s second round because the arm was not responding positively to the treatment. He said it was affecting his play, although he shot an even-par 70.
Stricker was more upbeat after Saturday’s 1-under 69.
“I’ve got a lot of time in between now and the Presidents Cup,” he said. “I’ve got seven weeks to rest it, rehab it or whatever [his doctor] tells me to do to get it better.”
Baddeley, too
Aaron Baddeley is another player thinking about the Presidents Cup, but he’s fighting to make the International team.
Captain Greg Norman will announce his two wild-card selections Tuesday.
Baddeley said he spoke with Norman on the phone for a few minutes earlier this week. Norman said he would be watching Baddeley and fellow Australian John Senden.
“He said just go out, play good, win the golf tournament,” Baddeley said. “I said, all right.”
One of Norman’s picks is expected to be Robert Allenby, leaving the two Australians to compete for the last spot.
Baddeley shot 6 under in Saturday’s third round and is 9 under for the tournament. He is tied for the lead with Hunter Mahan. Senden shot 1 under, but is 3 over for the tournament.
“Sendo played great last week, played well the week before,” said Baddeley, who is 14th in the Presidents Cup standings to Senden’s 17th. “Definitely Greg is looking out for form players. So far I think I’ve had a nice year, but it would be nice to cap it off this week, and hopefully that’ll be enough for the pick.”
Mickelson’s putts drop
Phil Mickelson finally got some putts to go in.
The result was a third-round 3-under 67 on Saturday to move him into a tie for seventh at the Tour Championship. Mickelson stands at 5 under after opening rounds of 68 and 70.
Mickelson, who has his sports psychologist with him this week, birdied five of the last 11 holes, including three of four on Nos. 14-17.
“The past couple of days, I shot a couple under, right around par,” Mickelson said. “I just haven’t really lit it up yet. But I feel like it’s right there. ... If I can get a few [putts] to go, I can make a run at the lead [Sunday].
Good eats for caddies
Tour Championship caddies were treated to southern cooking before Saturday’s third round.
Chad Parker, the East Lake head pro, and Nate Seymour, the club’s outside operations manager, got an early start serving barbecue for the caddies. Ribs were put on four donated Big Green Egg cookers by 7 a.m., and serving started by 11:30 a.m.
“It was a surprise for them,” Seymour said. “We thought we would show them a little southern hospitality.”
Parker and PGA Tour pro Stewart Cink, an East Lake member, will venture into the world of barbecue next month in a fundraiser they are calling the Swine and Dandy. The charity cookoff will be held at Rogers Bridge Park in Duluth on Oct. 21-22, with proceeds going to benefit Women’s Club of Sugarloaf Country Club Charities.
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