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U.S. Open 2018: Steve Stricker keeps the sneakiest streak in golf alive at Shinnecock Hills
Andrew Redington
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. -- No matter the venue or the conditions, there's one thing you can count on in golf's major championships these days: Steve Stricker making the cut.
Throw age in there as well as the 51-year-old kept the sport's sneakiest impressive streak alive this week at the U.S. Open. In surviving to the weekend at Shinnecock Hills, Stricker made the cut for a remarkable 27th consecutive major championship he's started.
The streak dates back to a T-30 at the 2010 Masters. Since then, the only time the 12-time PGA Tour winner hasn't played on the weekend on a major is when he hasn't teed it up. Stricker skipped the British Open from 2013-2015, and he didn't qualify for two U.S. Opens (2015 and 2016) and two Masters (2016 and 2018) in that span.
During this stretch, Stricker has 16 top-25s in majors and four top 10s, highlighted by a solo fourth at the 2016 British Open at Troon. The last major he played and failed to make the cut was the 2009 PGA Championship at Hazeltine.
Stricker has split his time between the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions this season. In eight starts against the youngsters, he's made $427,451 (A T-12 at the Valspar Championship is his best finish so far), while he's finished in the top 5 in all five senior starts, including two wins.
So who holds the record for most consecutive cuts made at men's major championships? Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Of course. The two legends each had streaks of 39 -- which means the earliest Stricker could possibly catch them would be at the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. At 54. Better keep stretching, Steve.