Strange Will Take His Best Shot to Avoid Losing His ‘Best Buddy’

Curtis Strange revels in the fact that he is the two-time defending U.S. Open champion and, although it’s unlikely he’ll win a third consecutive title, he wants to sustain that feeling.

“The odds are that I will go home Sunday night without the trophy,” Strange said. “If it does happen--and I don’t want to think about it--it will be an empty feeling.

“There has been a fictitious person beside me for two years, and if I don’t win, I am going to lose my best buddy. Being the current U.S. Open champion for two straight years has been fantastic.

“My friend has been there for 24 months, and I don’t know how I will feel Sunday. It will be mixed emotions.”

Other players in Strange’s position night be consumed by the pressure of the task ahead and the national media attention that goes with it.

However, he has been savoring every moment while preparing to defend his title again when the tournament begins today on the demanding No. 3 course at Medinah Country Club.

Strange is, of course, mindful that Willie Anderson was the last player to win three consecutive Opens, from 1903 to ‘05, and he is excited by the challenge.

“It has been incredible--the recognition, the attention, the awareness of the public and the media,” Strange said. “And it has been a lot of fun.”

Strange, 35, hasn’t won a tournament since he retained his Open title last year at the Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y. He has had five top-10 finishes in 11 PGA Tour outings this year and is ranked 34th on the money-winning list.

Now he has to put it all together in one week against the game’s best players.

“Every idle moment you have, you think of Medinah and whether you have a chance.” Strange said, “and the closer it gets, the more intense it has been.”

As for peaking for one week, he said: “I have practiced plenty this week but not overdone it. I think you can do too much and wear yourself out.”

So, the moment has come when Strange meets his destiny. He said he has had a knot in his stomach to remind him.

“This is the first time in a long time anyone has had a chance to win three Opens in a row,” said Strange, referring to Ben Hogan’s titles in 1950 and ’51 before faltering in ’52.

“I want to do well this week, and if I don’t, I think I have another Open (victory) in me. I’ve put a lot of heat on myself--my one chance in the world to win three in a row. So I am going to give it my best shot.”

Strange’s game is suited to Open courses, which have narrow fairways with restrictive rough, placing a premium on accuracy.

He won last year by grinding out a par 70 on the last round at Oak Hill, while others, notably Tom Kite, faded. Strange anticipates that par golf will be good enough to win this year, especially if the wind dries out the greens.

His competition is formidable.

Britain’s Nick Faldo is generally favored, based on his record in the majors and his steady, imperturbable approach to the game.

Faldo lost to Strange in a playoff for the 1988 Open title. Previously, he had won the British Open in 1987, and he’s the two-time defending Masters champion.

Asked about his ability to play well in the majors, Faldo said: “This is what golf is all about. This is the most important part--the majors. You play for the trophies; the others play for prize money. To get your name on a piece of silver, that’s all you try to do.”

The course itself, all 7,195 yards of it, may be the real winner with its intimidating trees, tight fairways and slick greens.

“It’s a serious course,” Faldo said. “You need a powerful, demanding long game and, with the slopes on some of the greens, you need a serious short game.”

Said Strange: “You have to drive straight. That’s the No. 1 priority. With the wind blowing, you have to be sharp with your irons because the greens are firm, and you have to be mentally tough and make some putts. Other than that, it’s a piece of cake.”

The par-three holes are seemingly the most treacherous. Three of them--Nos. 2, 13 and 17--must be played over Lake Kadijah, which meanders through the course.

“A bad shot at 13 and 17 and you make a bogey,” Strange said. “A poor shot and you could do worse.”

When Strange won the Open last year, he walked into the interview room, grinned and said, “Move over, Ben.” He had matched Hogan in winning consecutive Opens. Now he would dearly love to say, “Move over, Willie.”

Golf Notes

A persistent mid-evening rain, along with thunder and lightning, Wednesday may delay first-round play today.