Steve Stricker’s birdie putt from just off the green on the 18th hole secured him the 2011 John Deere Classic, his third straight year winning the event. Kyle Stanley, a 23-year-old rookie, had the lead entering the final hole, but he missed a putt for par to fall back to 21-under and in a tie at the time. Stricker, though, hit successfully out of a bunker on the left side to set up the winning putt.
2011 John Deere Classic Results: Steve Stricker Wins Third Straight Deere Run Tournament
Stricker shot just 2-under for the day, while there were many scores far lower than that. However, Stricker overcame a double bogey on the fifth hole and back-to-back bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes. Twice Stricker failed to hit successfully out of a bunker, resulting in the double bogey and the bogey on the 16th. He remained in contention when he birdied the 17th to pull within one at that point.
Matt McQuillan, Charles Howell III and Briny Baird each shot a 7-under for the day, the low rounds of the day. Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open Champion, failed to make the cut and finished his tournament on Friday.
Stricker is projected to move to second in the FedEx Cup standings with this victory. Stanley will jump up to 45th overall.
The top 10 leaderboard:
1. Steve Stricker -22
2. Kyle Stanley -21
T3. Matt McQuillan -17
T3. Zach Johnson -17
T5. Charles Howell III -16
T5. Chez Reavie -16
T7. Cameron Percy -15
T7. Brendon De Jonge -15
T9. Briny Baird -14
T9. Brian Gay -14
For news leading up to the 2011 British Open, stay with this StoryStream, visit SB Nation’s golf hub, and check out our golf blog, Waggle Room.
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