Stricker in course for title shot

Steve Stricker is on course to follow in Michael Campbell’s footsteps in this week’s US Open at Winged Foot.

Campbell came through qualifying last year on his way to victory at Pinehurst, and Stricker could repeat the feat after rounds of 70 and 69 gave him the clubhouse lead at one under par.

Stricker, who shot rounds of 65 and 64 to win sectional qualifying at St Charles, Illinois on June 5, was second in the USPGA to Vijay Singh in 1998 but had to return to the US Tour qualifying school last winter to regain his card after a number of poor seasons.

“There were no physical injuries, but mental injuries there might have been,” the 39-year-old from Wisconsin joked.

“I was obviously struggling with confidence and everything that goes with it when you’re not playing well.

“It’s been a work in progress to get it back. I put in a lot of time this winter, went back to Q-school, kept playing all the way up through December and then never really put the clubs down over the holidays.

“I can’t play in Wisconsin but I was still able to hit a lot of balls, continued working out through January and February and the tournaments I’ve gotten into this year I’ve played well. I’ve been building a little momentum each and every week I play.”

Stricker, who won the Accenture Match Play title on its ill-fated trip to Melbourne in January 2001, was involved in a close battle with Singh at Sahalee in 1998, eventually losing out by two shots as the Fijian won his first major title.

But he hopes to be able to draw on that experience over the weekend at Winged Foot.

“It’s been a long time but it’s in there somewhere,” he added.

“It’s just whether I can get it out of there and be able to contend like I did back then. We’ll have to wait and see but I know it’s in there.

“It’s just believing in my ability and trusting what I’ve been doing and continuing to work at it.”