Defending Champion Steve Stricker in Contention Once Again

Surprise, surprise, Steve Stricker is in contention again at a Senior Major Championship. The defending KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship winner shot a five-under 66 Thursday at Harbor Shores Golf Club to sit T-2, two strokes off Richard Green's lead.

"We've got a long ways to go, you know, but it was important to get off to a good start," Stricker said. "I'm surprised the scores are that low."

This week is the first time Stricker, 57, has seen Harbor Shores since joining the Champions Tour. The seven-time senior major champion had to withdraw in 2022 when the course last hosted the KitchenAid Senior PGA due to having COVID-like symptoms.

Despite his current discomfort with the course's sightlines, which led him to take his 15-year-old 3-wood off the tee on the 538-yard par-5 15th, Stricker played a bogey-free round through his first 15 holes. Instead of playing aggressively on the 15th, he chose a conservative approach, laying up and hitting a wedge in close for his seventh birdie of the day to tie Green's lead. The Madison, Wisc., native's strategy was to play safe to give himself the best opportunities to score.

"There are a lot of things like that where you can challenge yourself, you can challenge pin locations, but you can pay the price if you don't pull it off," Stricker said.

MORE: Rich KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship History Awaits Field at Harbor Shores

Stricker paid the price on his drive on the 16th, where he over-hooked it into the penalty area before carding a double bogey. The 2021 winning Ryder Cup captain wanted to hold a steady finish, hitting it into the center of the green on the par-3 17th to make a straightforward par.

"You didn't want to compound that double with another bogey after that," Stricker said. "So I hit a nice shot, nice 7-iron in there and gave myself a look at it."

Over his last two KitchenAid Senior PGA Championships, Stricker has had his daughters caddie for him. Last year, Izzy carried his bag when he beat Padraig Harrington in a one-hole playoff. This week, he has Bobbi looping for him. She helped him read three putts during his round Thursday and thought they were all spot on.

"I trust what they see because they're good putters," Stricker said. "They make a lot of putts when they're on their own, so I figure they must see it pretty good. They're pretty similar in that regard. One is a little feistier than the other. Izzy is a little bit more of a fighter than Bobbi, but trust them both when I have them look at something."