As Steve Stricker walked into the greens of the TPC Sawgrass earlier in the week for the US PGA Players Championship, he was the holder of the longest running streak of cuts made for any active player on the PGA Tour but as the dust settled on the actions of the second day of the event after the second round, his streak will count for nothing having hit a four over 76 in the first round followed by a two over 74, leaving him an unassailable 6 shots behind the leading pack, which means that he is going to miss his first cut since the PGA Championships of 2009.
The cut mark for the event this time around was projected at even par by the time Stricker had finished his round, which means that he stands no chance of making the cut even by some miracle. But Steve Stricker has never been one for records but the way he missed the cut after making a total of 49 consecutive cuts since his last missed cut in 2009 will be sure to bother him for a long time and it has done so too, as was evident on the countenance of Stricker.
Although he did not show his disappointment in public, those close to him say that he wanted to get to the 50 consecutive cut marks but more than that, he wanted to win the title at the TPC Sawgrass, often considered to be the unofficial fifth Major of golf.
But knowing the habits of Steve Stricker, it can be said that he will not be dwelling on this missed cut for months on end, thereby hampering his preparations for the upcoming events that he will be taking part in, but it will be a wound that will take time to heal.