6 days ago
Steve Stricker has successful neck surgery, plans to return for 2026 PGA Tour Champions
Steve Stricker underwent disc replacement surgery on Tuesday to address a nagging issue caused by a bulging disc and bone spur, the former U.S. Ryder Cup captain and winner of 12 PGA Tour and 18 PGA Tour Champions events said, via his brother-in-law and agent Mario Tiziani, in a statement.
'The procedure went very well, and I'm already feeling great. I truly appreciate all the support and well wishes,' Stricker said. 'Looking forward to being back and ready for the 2026 season on the PGA Tour Champions.'
Stricker, 58, made just four starts this season, and none since finishing tied for second at the American Family Insurance Championship, the tournament he hosts in his native Wisconsin, in June.
Stricker withdrew from the Chubb Classic in Naples, Florida, in February and the Cologuard Classic in Tucson, Arizona, a month later. He has been dealing with pain both neck and back pain for several months. Stricker has been hinting at surgery for several months and then Darren Clarke, who won the Champions Tour event in Wisconsin, spilled the beans during his winner's speech.
"It's touch and go, to be quite honest with you," Stricker said in March during the Galleri Classic media day. "The back is definitely better, but there are a couple other little issues that I'm dealing with. It's not great; it's a little bit better. I'm trying to get some things ... done so I can continue to play."
Stricker told that he was dealing with lower right back pain, specifically in his L5-S1 disc, for more than a year.
'I can't twist through there,' he said, 'I can't generate the power.'
'I'll get better, I'll be back, I'll play again but I've got it get better first,' he said.
Stricker was PGA Tour Champions player of the year in 2023 when he won the Charles Schwab Cup. He has won seven senior majors, including the 2019 U.S. Senior Open. His last two wins have both come at the Sanford International in South Dakota in 2023 and 2024.
