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Victory moves Stricker behind Woods
Golf, 11:53, February 8, 2010 ,
Steve Stricker says he "aged a lot" during the final round as he held off Luke Donald to claim the Northern Trust Open by two shots.
The 42-year-old led by six shots going into the final round and carded a one-under par 70 to take the tournament despite spirited fight from England's Donald, who shot a final-round 66 to finish second.
Dustin Johnson and JB Holmes shared third place but Phil Mickelson could only manage a tie for 45th, after a closing 73, and lost his world number two spot to Stricker in the process.
Despite entering the final 18 holes with such a big lead, Stricker showed his nerves, saying: "I aged a lot out there. It was a grind from the get-go."
Donald fired six birdies in his final round and, despite just falling short of Stricker's total, he was pleased with his week's work.
"I felt like I played nicely," he said. "I hit a lot of quality shots, felt very much in control and I hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, gave myself a lot of good looks at birdies.
"If I got really hot with the putter, I could have maybe caught Steve. He played nicely coming down the stretch, and I think he was a deserved winner."
Stricker lost his PGA Tour card in 2004 but is now ranked as the second best golfer in the world behind the absent Tiger Woods.