Tour Championship golf: 'Stronger' Stricker in Presidents Cup boost

A DAY after fearing his Presidents Cup might be over due to lingering neck and shoulder pain, Steve Stricker had a smile on his face after experiencing no discomfort during Saturday's third round of the Tour Championship.The American world No 5, who withdrew from last week's BMW Championship at Cog Hill after two rounds and then had a cortisone shot last Monday, swung freely on the way to a one-under-par 69.

"It felt really good today, and I don't know why," a bea

ming Stricker said after posting a three-under total of 207 at East Lake Golf Club. "I felt a lot stronger today.

"I don't know if the heat helped, or the (cortisone) shot maybe just had another day to help. And I warmed up a little bit different today, too.

"I gave myself a lot more time before I went out, and I think that helped some, too."

On Friday, Stricker had battled to a level-par 70 and, for the first time, he felt he might not be able to represent the United States against the Internationals in the Presidents Cup in November in Australia.

"It was kind of a little bit of a downer yesterday," the 44-year-old said. "I just didn't have a good feeling about yesterday, how I played, how I felt, what was going on there with my arm.

"It was starting to affect how I play. I was doing things that weren't typical of my game. I started worrying about it (the Presidents Cup) a little bit, but I've got a lot of time in between now and then.

"I've got seven weeks to rest it, rehab it, or whatever he (the specialist) tells me to do to get it better. We've got that time period to get it better."

Australian Aaron Baddeley, bidding to secure one of the two final spots on the International team in his home country, shared the lead with Hunter Mahan heading into the final round at East Lake.

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