Steven Charles Stricker (born February 23, 1967) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. He has twelve victories on the PGA Tour, including the WGC-Match Play title in 2001 and two FedEx Cup playoff events. His most successful season on tour came at age 42 in 2009, with three victories and a runner-up finish on the money list. Stricker spent over 250 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking, reaching a career-high world ranking of No. 2 in September 2009. Stricker served as U.S. Ryder Cup captain for the 2021 matches, winning at Whistling Straits in his home state of Wisconsin. Early life Born in Edgerton, Wisconsin, Stricker grew up playing golf at Lake Ripley Country Club in nearby Cambridge and Edgerton Towne Country Club in Edgerton. A 1990 graduate of the University of Illinois, Stricker earned All-American honors as a member of the Illini golf team in 1988 and 1989. Professional career Stricker turned professional in 1990 and began his career on the Canadian Professional Golf Tour, where he won two tournaments. He joined the PGA Tour in 1994, and his first success at the top level came in 1996 when Stricker notched two victories (Kemper Open, Motorola Western Open) and seven top-ten finishes to finish fourth on the 1996 PGA Tour money list. In 1998, Stricker played himself into contention in the final round of the PGA Championship at Sahalee Country Club near Seattle. PGA Tour veteran Vijay Singh bested Stricker down the stretch thanks to a back-nine surge and claimed a two-stroke victory. This runner-up finish remains Stricker's best result in a major championship to date. Stricker has finished inside the top-20 six times at the U.S. Open, with his best finish a fifth-place in 1999 at Pinehurst No. 2. He won his third and most prestigious PGA Tour title at the WGC Match Play Championship in 2001, where he defeated Pierre Fulke 2 and 1 in Australia to earn the $1,000,000 prize. This remains as the only time that the WGC Match Play Championship was played outside of the United States. Stricker lost his tour card in 2004. At age 39 in 2006, relying on sponsor exemptions, he managed seven top-ten finishes and was voted the tour's Comeback Player of the Year. In 2007 he won his fourth PGA Tour title at The Barclays