Stricker: World number four
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Steve Stricker admits he will have to do something he has never managed before if he is to be in with any chance of winning The Masters - putt well at Augusta.
The 41-year-old from Wiscousin will make his eighth appearance at the tournament this week and heads into the event ranked fourth in the world after a remarkable couple of years.
Stricker, who fell to 162nd on money-list and lost his card, has been named the PGA Tour's 'Comeback Player of the Year' for the past two seasons and capped the best year of his career in 2007 with his fourth Tour win at The Barclays.
He is now hoping to build on his revitalised form at the first major of 2008 but will have to crack the puzzle of Augusta's greens if he is to do so.
"I've got to do some work here," Stricker admitted. "I've got to overcome a few problems I've had in years past, and, hopefully, I'm playing a little bit better.
"I've never really putted that well here to tell you the truth - the greens are very difficult.
"There's so much movement there, and you have to really study them and take the time to understand some of the little breaks and nuances of the greens.
"I really have never putted that well here, and I haven't putted so well yet this year. I'm hoping it all changes this week and I put some good putting rounds together and good ball-striking. You need to do it all well here.
"I'm going to try to spend a lot more time up around the greens and try to really think about where the hole locations are going to be, and try to figure out where I want to hit it for those hole locations. You need to do your homework."
Stricker insists the key to his resurgence has been self-belief and is hoping his positive mindset can help him beat a previous best of tied for tenth at Augusta in 2001.
"I kept telling myself that I did play good golf at one time, and it was in there," he added.
"I just had to get it out again. I think that's the biggest challenge, the mental challenge of trying to overcome those negative thoughts and try to remember where you once were."
