Stricker holds on for second victory of 2010

It wasn't supposed to be this hard. After building a seven shot lead with 17 holes to play, Steve Stricker watched as his once-enormous lead diminish in a matter of hours. When Stricker's bogey putt on the 72nd hole fell, his lead was all the way down to two shots. 

It of course didn't matter, as Stricker still walked away with his second victory of the 2010 season at the John Deere Classic. A closing round of one-under 70 was enough to get the job done and hold off a hard-charging Paul Goydos on the back nine. 

"You don't want to give shots away and then you end up playing a little safer than you normally do and it leads to tougher birdie putts," Stricker said. "Then they creep in closer because they were playing some good golf."

Stricker's mindset seemed to change overnight, as the realization of being only 18 holes from his second tour victory of the year started to creep into his head. His go-for-broke play disappeared, replaced by a much more guarded game plan that forced Stricker to stay within the moment as the lead widened. Given his stellar performance over the first three days -- he set the record for the lowest 54-hole score in tour history -- it seemed like Stricker would have had to miss his tee time or play left handed to give the title away. 

While it wasn't exactly the final round performance he envisioned, Stricker was able to get the job done. And that's all that mattered at the end of the day. 

Even a 5-under 66 wasn't enough to get Paul Goydos close enough for a possible playoff. With the win, Stricker added his name to the list of players peaking right before the British Open. Given his affinity for hitting golf balls in the elements, the Wisconsin native should feel right at home in the blustery conditions at St. Andrews.