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PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

August 11, 2017

Steve Stricker

Charlotte, North Carolina

Q. Not missing a cut in a major. What does that feel like, pretty good?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah. It was on my mind today to play this weekend. It's a tough course for me and everybody else. If you don't drive it in the fairway and all that, it becomes very difficult. But, yeah, I was thinking about it. I wanted to be around this weekend.

I played good coming in. Hit a lot of good quality shots. Made a couple putts, but I'm not getting the ball in the holes quickly at times. Today was a little bit better.

Q. For a guy that was sort of trying to semi retire a few years ago, you are now playing a lot of golf. Is it more than you would have thought?
STEVE STRICKER: It was more than I thought. I am enjoying it. Nicki and the kids have been out with me particularly every week, especially this summer and even some during school. We took our youngest out of school and traveled with us, home schooled her on the road when we were out on the road. So I've played a lot more. I enjoyed it.

I feel tired, though, at the end of the year, but still excited to play. I will play the playoffs in a couple of weeks. Should get in the first one at least and see if I can't keep going on through.

Q. Back-to-back eagle putts; missed them both. Were you mad?
STEVE STRICKER: I wasn't happy. They were not that hard of putts. That's been the deal. I'm hitting good putts and they are getting up around the hole and finding a way to miss kind of thing. That's been frustrating. I could have been a few shots better today. I'm happy to be around, too.

Q. But that came at a time when you were outside the cut line?
STEVE STRICKER: Exactly. I was 5 over at the time. Drove it on the green at the short hole and then had a 18-footer straight up the hill. Then knocked two shots on the green at the 15th hole. Had a birdie look at 16 as well that I didn't -- ran it right on the edge. Had some good opportunities that I didn't cash in on.

Q. With the way Phil has gone this year, where does he stand in terms of a pick? Does he have to do something you think? Does he have a lifetime pass?
STEVE STRICKER: We had a talk about it in Akron when I came down there. He told me he wants to be on this team more than anything. I would love to see him on the team. But just like anybody else, I have got to see who is playing well at the time. I know he's struggling a little bit right now, but I would like -- I told him I would like to see him play well here on out to show me something basically, and that doesn't sound right coming from a guy like me talking to Phil. Hey, show me something. That doesn't sound right. That's basically what I said. Show me that you are playing good at the end of the year. Because I would love to have him on the team.

I know how important he is on the team. How good he is with the young guys and in the locker room and that kind of stuff.

Does he go out this afternoon?

Q. He missed the cut.
STEVE STRICKER: What did he shoot today? 2 over. He's got a couple of events, probably in the playoffs. That's all we're going to have before we make the pick. Hopefully he can get hot in there.

It goes the same for all the guys. Basically the Top 20 or even outside, Zach Johnson played well at WGC last week. If he can have another good solid run here through the rest of the year, he's a guy I'm looking at, too. Anybody, if they can get hot, we're all going to give a good look to.

Q. Phil plays at Liberty a lot. Is that going to factor at all?
STEVE STRICKER: Not really. I know he's been there a few times. Really we need the best guys playing the best at the end of the year going forward. That's what we're going to be looking at. It's going to be a team decision with all the assistant captains.

I have been on teams where the captain got the whole team involved in these couple of picks or three or four picks. I think it's important to get the whole team vested in those other two players that we're going to pick. I'll for sure run it by, all our assistant captains are going to have a say. We're all going to be on the same page in who we're going to pick.

Q. Are those picks always on the back of your mind?
STEVE STRICKER: Yeah. I've been thinking about it a lot and watching the point list every week, just seeing who's doing what. Not really the -- I don't think it's the most fun part of the job. I guess telling two guys they are on the team is going to be fun, but telling the half a dozen other guys that you are thinking about that they are not going to make it, that will be hard probably.

Q. Those intangibles that you talked about with Phil, how do you balance that with the playing part? Can that be of more value than him getting you a point out there one day?
STEVE STRICKER: Sometimes it can be. I think we picked him -- I was part of a team, I wasn't playing, but Korea, he was like 26th or something. He played great that week. So there's always that possibility. Again, it would be nice to see whoever it is that we're picking is playing well.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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