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Steve Stricker ‘lucky to be alive’ after spending weeks in hospital with serious illness
Steve Stricker has said he feels “lucky to be alive” after being hospitalized for weeks with a severe illness described as a “mysterious ailment.”
As reported by WisconsinGolf’s Gary D’Amato, Stricker came down with a sore throat and heavy cough on Oct. 23, about a month after captaining the U.S. to victory at the Ryder Cup. The 54-year-old took antibiotics and felt better for a couple of weeks, but then his health issues quickly deteriorated.
Speaking to the publication, Stricker said:
“I came home from hunting one night and I was like, ‘I don’t feel good. My side hurts. I just don’t feel right. That night I had the sweats and all of a sudden, my temperature was 103. I went back to my primary and got amoxicillin, a heavier antibiotic. And I think I had a reaction to that. My throat started to close up, my lips got puffy, my glands got puffy, my tongue got puffy. It was like an allergic reaction. I was still having these 103-degree temps.”
Stricker revealed that his white blood cell count shot up, liver numbers got worse, and he was diagnosed with jaundice.
“So, I went into the hospital about two weeks before Thanksgiving and they kept me in there. That’s when the s— hit the fan. My liver numbers started getting worse. My white blood cell count was jacked up really high. I was fighting something, but they couldn’t find out what it was. My liver was going downhill. I got jaundice. I was yellow and peeing out Pepsi-colored pee.”
Stricker tested negative for COVID and was discharged from the hospital 11 days later, just before Thanksgiving, but he ended up back in the hospital three days later.
“You don’t know where this road is leading to. I never thought that I’m not getting out of there kind of thing. But I didn’t eat for two weeks. I didn’t have any energy or appetite to eat. I had a hard time just getting up and walking because of the heart. I took a few steps to the bathroom in my room and I’d be out of breath.”
The former World Number 2 is back in Florida with his family after being discharged from hospital for a second time at the end of last year. He is currently on several medications and still unable to consume solid food.
“My heart is in rhythm now. It was jumping in and out of rhythm from Thanksgiving all the way to Christmas Eve. So, knock on wood. And I’m on less medication. The inflammation number that they can find out with blood tests is saying that my inflammation is going down. And it must be, because I’m feeling better. I’m walking around a little bit. I’m starting to be a little bit more active and building a tolerance a little bit better. So, things are definitely better.”
Stricker has lost 25lbs in weight while fighting the illness and described his skin as “hanging” as he continues his recovery.
“I’m down 25 pounds. I’m freshman-in-high school weight. I lost all my muscle. I look like an 85-year-old man, dude. My skin is hanging.”
The Wisconsin-native has started to hit a few chip shots at his home in Florida, but per his cardiologist, it may be six months before he can tee it up again on the PGA Tour Champions.
GolfWRX is on site this week at the Memorial Tournament, with both Alistair Cameron and Tour Photographer Greg Moore on the ground in Dublin, Ohio, where a strong field is assembled to pay homage to the Golden Bear.
In addition to WITB galleries, we’ve already been treated to an in-hand look at Tommy Fleetwood’s new TaylorMade Spider putters.
Check out links to all our photos below.
General Albums
WITB Albums
- Jason Day – WITB – 2026 The Memorial
- Chris Gotterup – WITB – 2026 The Memorial
- SungJae Im – WITB – 2026 The Memorial
Pullout Albums
- Jason Day’s 1off Payntr golf shoes – 2026 The Memorial
- JT Poston’s TaylorMade Spider – 2026 The Memorial
- Cameron putter – 2026 The Memorial
- Tommy Fleetwood’s TM Spider putters – 2026 The Memorial
- New Mitsubishi Chemical 1K Pro Orange shaft – 2026 The Memorial
Around the world, the golf wheel spun this final week in May of 2026. From New Jersey to Austria, with stops in Korea, Texas, and North Carolina (don’t let me route your next trip) the world’s finest put their golf games on display. There were three playoffs, some known commodities and some new talent. It was the sort of week that we hope to have at this point in the seasons. June and July afford double-digit major events, and perhaps, one of this week’s champions will use this success as a springboard to new heights. Time to run it all down, tech style, in this week’s Tour Tech Rundown.
Thanks to WITBHub, Today’s Golfer, GolfWRX, and Inside Tour Golf for initial research into equipment.
PGA Tour @ Charles Schwab Challenge: Heroic Henley denies Cole
Eric Cole did nearly everything that a fellow can do, to secure a first PGA Tour title. He stayed one shot clear of Ryder Cup player Ben Griffin. He kept US Open champion Gary Woodland and wunderkind Michael Brennan two shots distant. He posted 70 on day four to reach twelve under par. And then, Russell Henley revealed his Dr. Strange cloak. Henley made 47 feet of birdie putts on holes 16, 17, and 18, to jump from minus-nine to twelve-deep, and secured a spot in a playoff with Cole. The duo returned to the final tee, and put on a stripe show.
Both golfers found the fairway off the tee, and Henley improved on his regulation play with an approach to four feet. Cole did himself proud, tucking an iron to a dozen feet, but he was unable to convert the putt for three. Henley is one of the best putters on tour, and he proved it once more by draining a putt for a fourth consecutive birdie, and a sixth PGA Tour title. For Eric Cole, that first victory should come, and soon. He has done everything necessary to earn the chalice lift.
Henley’s Suitcase
- Driver: Titleist TSi3 at 10 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5 TX
- Metal: Titleist TS3 at 16.5 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX
- Hybrid: Titleist TSi2 at 21 degrees. Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT hybrid 100 TX
- Iron: Titleist T250 4-iron. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
- Irons: Titleist T100 5-6 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
- Irons: Titleist T100 7-9 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
- Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 48 and 50 degrees. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue X100
- Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 54 and 60 degrees. Shaft: rue Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue S400
- Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron T5 Tour Prototype
LPGA @ Shoprite LPGA: Welcome back, Celine!
Soo Bin Joo had her eyes on a maiden LPGA title. She held the lead after two rounds, then hit a red light at the intersection of can-I and how-To. Joo posted plus-two on day three in New Jersey, and dropped to a T4 finish, which was still a career-best for the young Korean golfer. Instead of a new face, a familiar face returned to the top of the podium.
Celine Boutier was the It Girl in 2023. She collected four victories, including a major title at Evian. Boutier reached world number one status, then simply faded into the background. No wins came her way over the next 30 months. On Sunday, she collected LPGA victory number seven, at the same trace as LPGA victory number two.
Day three saw Boutier manage the windswept Seaview Bay course with six birdies and a bogey. She was challenged in the end by Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who signed for a 66 of her own. Yubol came up one shot shy of the top ladder rung. Finishing in third place at -7, two back of the winner, was Ireland’s Lauren Walsh.
Celine’s Suitcase
- Driver: PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 at 9 degrees. Shaft: Graphite Design AD IZ-5
- Hybrid: PXG 0311 Black Ops at 19 and 22 degrees. Shaft: KBS Hybrid Prototype
- Hybrid: PXG 0311 Gen5.
- Iron: PXG 0311 P Gen 4 5-9 irons
- Wedge: PXG 0311 T Gen 4 PW
- Wedges: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II at 50, 54, 58 degrees
- Putter: Bettinardi Studio Stock 3 DASS
DP World Tour @ Austrian Alpine: KK? KK!
Kota Kaneko has a rhythmic name. It has strong vowels and a run of voiceless stops in its crunchy K sounds. On Sunday in Austria, Kaneko put a stop to a challenge from Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and everyone else, and claimed a first-ever title on the DP World Tour. Gouveia did well to reach 16-under par over four days, but Kaneko held firm, two shots in the clear.
Davis Bryant of the USA also forged a strong challenge for the win. He ended in a tie with Gouveia for second place. Kaneko began and finished his final round in a bit of a malaise, but he caught fire midway through. Birdies at 10, 12, and 13 provided the necessary cushion to cruise to the finish line without breaking a serious sweat.
Kaneko’s Suitcase
- Driver: Ping Max G440
- Metals: TaylorMade Qi4D at 15, 16.5, 21, and 24 degrees
- Irons: TaylorMade P760 5 and 6 irons
- Irons: TaylorMade P7TW 7-9 irons
- Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design at 46, 52, 56, and 60 degrees
- Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Cruiser Arm Lock #7
Korn Ferry Tour @ UNC Health Championship: Improbably Alvaro
Alvaro Ortiz may have had a bit of scare on the outward nine on Sunday, but he came through in clutch fashion in the end. Ortiz began the day bogey-double, and added another double bogey at the 11th hole. He was mired in a downward trend, spiraling away from the top of the leader’s board. Ortiz found hope at the 14th, where his first birdie of the day tumbled home. Inspired, he closed with birdies and 17 and 18 to catch Ross Steelman at 10-under par, and the duo returned to the 18th deck for overtime.
The extra session concluded in brief time. Ortiz, buoyed by his newly-retrieved confidence, hit the fairway with driver, then approached to six feet and drained the putt. Gobsmacked, Steelman could do little more than smile and applaud, as his run at the top came to a close. The victory was the first for Ortiz on the KFT, and will implant him squarely in the chase for a PGA Tour promotion.
Alvaro’s Suitcase
- Driver: Ping G430 MAX driver at 9 degrees loft
- Metal: Ping G430 MAX 3W
- Iron: Ping iDi Driving Iron
- Irons: Ping Blueprint S irons
- Wedges
- Putter: Scottsdale TR Piper C
A party on the green!
Alvaro’s time comes in Raleigh with his first win @UNCHealthChamp ? pic.twitter.com/2dmtZdbSzk
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) May 31, 2026
LIV @ Korea: Me llamo Joaquin
Chile’s Joaquin Niemann had been away from the LIV winner’s circle throughout all of 2026. This week in Korea, he reminded us that he is still a force to consider. Niemann chased down Taylor Gooch over the closing holes at Asiad Country Club, then claimed victory with a hole-one birdie in extra time. Bryson DeChambeau claimed solo third, one shot in arrears at minus-eleven. Dustin Johnson finished on fourth, one putt farther back.
Niemann’s Suitcase
- Driver: Ping 440 LST
- Metal: Ping G440 Max at 15 degrees
- Metal: Ping G425 Max at 21 degrees
- Hybrid: Ping G430 at 25 degrees
- Irons: Ping Blueprint S 5 through PW
- Wedges: Ping S159 at 52, 56, and 60 degrees
- Putter: Ping PLD Anser
Driver: Titleist TSi3 (10 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70 6.5 TX
3-wood: Titleist TS3 (16.5 degrees)
Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX
7-wood: Titleist GTS3 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Project X Denali Black 80 TX
Irons: Titleist T250 (4), Titleist T100 (5-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold AMT (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (7-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 (48-10F @47, 50-08F @51, 54-10S @55, 60-04T)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48), S400 (47)
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
Russell Henley’s winning WITB: 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
Photos from the 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
CJ Cup Byron Nelson Tour Report: Koepka and Kim’s newest putters finally get hot
Charles Schwab Challenge Tour Report: MacIntyre, Åberg and Spaun all switch putters, TaylorMade launches new Spider
Details on J.J. Spaun’s surprise putter switch
GolfWRX Launch Report: 2026 Titleist GTS drivers
Photos from the 2026 Charles Schwab Challenge
PGA Championship Tour Report: Fitzpatrick, Koepka among big-name putter switches for Aronimink
Photos from the ShopRite LPGA
Maria Torres WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4 3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees) Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4 5-wood: Ping G440...
Eric Cole WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: PXG Lightning Tour Max (9 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (15 degrees) Shaft:...
Si Woo Kim WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond (8.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X Mini driver: Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Mini...
Wyndham Clark’s winning WITB: 2026 CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (10.5 degrees) Shaft: Project X Titan Yellow 60 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D Tour (15 degrees) Shaft: Project...
Steve B.
Jan 28, 2022 at 6:02 pm
I have no idea of SS had a vaccine reaction or not. But I do know this, and it comes from the experience of selling pharmaceuticals for over 20 years.
After carefully reviewing the vaccine information in 2020, I declined to enter the Moderna trial, based on the information available at the time, which was the survivability rate of 99.7%, the availability of a number of cheap drugs that when used appropriately, adequately address the disease.
With the information now available at the Vaccine Adverse Events Reaction reporting system, I’m glad I did not enter the trial. Since then I had Covid and recovered with Ivermection and Hydroxycholorquine, as have hundreds of thousands of other patients, despite governmental efforts to hinder their use.
If many patients do not have a reaction to these drugs, that is great, but over 20,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of adverse reactions have already been recorded on VAERS which is a passive reporting system. What does that mean? That probably only 1% of all deaths and adverse reactions have been counted as a direct result of the new vaccines. Which is not good because the deaths attributable are more than all other vaccines combined since the records have been kept, since 1990.
So, as a person who follows the real data and science, I would not discount the possibility of an adverse reaction to a great athlete like SS. Dozens of soccer players in Europe have collapsed dead with sudden heart attacks, and my next door neighbor also died suddenly after his 2nd Moderna shot. Of course that is anecdotal, but the other part of the equation is the locking up of data for another 55/75 years, which is highly irregular and very suspicious.
That isn’t conspiracy folks, it’s fact.
Stanley Poopshooters
Feb 18, 2022 at 12:09 pm
I tried an ivermectin enema. Didn’t work. I had a full release.
Joey
Jan 17, 2022 at 1:23 pm
VAX causing an autoimmune response. Not that uncommon. People need to accept the fact that you took a risk out of fear mongering without all the facts. Hate to hear it but accept responsibility and tell the truth about the risks of the vax so people can have a more informed decision of things.
Tyler Durden
Jan 22, 2022 at 2:26 am
You “did your own research” right moron?
Joey
Jan 22, 2022 at 4:19 pm
Not much of an argument there Tyler, sorry.
Luke
Jan 9, 2022 at 8:06 am
Instead of going to the hospital he should have posted his symptoms on the internet so all of the a-hole geniuses could have diagnosed it
Holdin Tudiks
Jan 9, 2022 at 2:03 pm
Chucy the groomer seems to know just about everything. He also has a sign in his front yard signaling all of his virtues, including but not limited to his medical history, his wife’s escapades with the neighbors (while he watched), and which lives matter to “him”. That is the way of a true beta male.
Chucy
Jan 9, 2022 at 10:42 pm
I didn’t speculate on what Stricker’s disease was.
I simply asked, “What was the differential diagnosis?” There’s no hospital record that is ever completed without at least a differential diagnosis, if not a presumptive diagnosis.
Meanwhile, we had these GolfWRX infectious diseases experts:
Manny – “autoimmune hepatitis.”
Mike C – “Lyme disease.”
richie – “Mono.”
Jeff Monik – “Hepatitis.”
I don’t mind their speculation; but let’s just be clear that I wasn’t engaging in their sort of explanation. All I did was ask for a clearer report on the actual differential diagnosis, and a clear, unequivocal statement as to his vaccination status.
I’m tired of all of the weird garbage tossed out by so many of anti-vax athletes. Djokovic. Kirk Cousins. Kyrie Irving. Aaron Rodgers. Carson Wentz. Patrick Reed. Bryson DeChambeau. I hope Stricker is not one of those guys. If he provided any sort of a clear and categorical statement, that alone would set him apart from the foregoing names.
And again, I am not buying any “it’s private” defenses. Stricker has talked in great detail about his hospitalization and illness. He didn’t have to, but he did. My questions about his differential diagnoses and vaccination status are no more intrusive than what he’s already volunteered.
paul mcloughlin
Jan 17, 2022 at 10:35 am
Lime Disease?
Alex Jones
Jan 8, 2022 at 10:10 pm
Take the vax, pay the tax!
joe
Jan 17, 2022 at 11:27 am
post the chit, prove to be a nitwit
Alex Jones
Jan 22, 2022 at 4:18 pm
Sorry that you took an experimental injection pal. Don’t worry, check out the lab results for MRNA shots during the early 90’s on mice! It did wonders for them!
Manny
Jan 7, 2022 at 8:11 pm
White blood cell count and liver numbers both going in the wrong direction, dark colored urine, jaundice, cannot keep solid foods in your system… sounds like what I was suffering from about 3 years ago (well before the China Virus). I was finally diagnosed with Autoimmune Hepatiitis.
Anthony
Jan 7, 2022 at 7:26 pm
That’s what happens when our mystery vax ruins your immune system.
Sorry Steve. We have other plans for you. You are not in our club.
Mike
Jan 8, 2022 at 11:53 am
Wow, anti vax nonsense seems to be everywhere , good luck with this crappola.
Antivaxxer
Jan 19, 2022 at 8:56 pm
Let us know how you are in a few years. Lol
Mike Tooktheshotandnowregretsit
Jan 22, 2022 at 4:21 pm
Not an argument Mike.
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
Jan 7, 2022 at 7:15 pm
Who cares. Someone does every half second in this world.
Mike C
Jan 7, 2022 at 5:34 pm
Sounds more like Lyme disease.
richie
Jan 7, 2022 at 5:29 pm
sounds like mono
John Krug
Jan 7, 2022 at 2:40 pm
Get well Steve.
Jeff Monik
Jan 7, 2022 at 11:58 am
Hepatitis
Clue. Out hunting and not washing him or whoever did the cookin
Jack R
Jan 7, 2022 at 4:19 pm
Yeah hunting def rings alarm bells
Chucy
Jan 7, 2022 at 9:49 am
I recall the hospitalization of Patrick Reed, and the confusing and frankly incredible statements by Reed about how and when he was tested for COVID. Reed never answered the clear and simple questions as to whether he had in fact been vaccinated before that hospitalization, and whether he was treated as a COVID patient during that hospitalization.
So now we have this story with Steve Stricker; the simple questions that are unanswered by this story are (1) was Stricker vaccinated last summer, when he was eligible, and (2) have Stricker’s doctors said what their differential diagnosis was?
Because whether it is Patrick Reed, or Steve Stricker, or any other patient in a US hospital, the diagnosis is never “mysterious disease.”
Dixon Diaz
Jan 7, 2022 at 10:43 am
Or maybe its none of our business, Chuy.
Terry
Jan 7, 2022 at 11:07 am
Sorry to hear about Steve, what A difficult time. I think it is “our business” once the article is published, with quotes from Steve. It’s the price of fame. Yes, what is the diagnosis?
Chucy
Jan 7, 2022 at 7:54 pm
All the ant-vaxxers say, “It’s private.”
But that can’t be true; Stricker is saying all sorts of “private” stuff about his hospitalization. All kinds of private treatment information. Everything he wants to say, that is.
I’m not stating that Stricker has to answer every health care and vaccination question. I am saying, he should be asked. And having been asked more specific relevant questions, after already speaking at length to the details of his hospitalization, Stricker could hardly justify a refusal to answer.
Gagootz
Jan 7, 2022 at 9:34 pm
It’s probably the vax that caused this you meatball.
Livininparadise
Jan 8, 2022 at 7:59 pm
Gagootz, yeah right. Jacka$$
Chucy
Jan 8, 2022 at 8:57 pm
That’s hateful nonsense, Gagootz.
Tyler Durden
Jan 14, 2022 at 8:51 pm
Steve violated “HIPPA” against himself ?
Chucy
Jan 24, 2022 at 12:37 pm
HIPAA, is what it is.
Brooks
Jan 7, 2022 at 12:11 pm
Ya, people aren’t treated with antibiotics for a virus… COVID doesn’t cause jaundice, also, it doesn’t matter what the differential diagnosis was. Someimes a “mysterious disease” does happen, you treat infections and sometimes they get worse then it clears up with the right treatment.
Medicine is called a “practice” for a reason.
Lastly, who cares what they had or did not, not your business.
Doc Brown
Jan 7, 2022 at 7:22 pm
Mystery disease. Only cured by being hooked up to gigawats.
Jay
Jan 7, 2022 at 1:39 pm
Clearly they are hiding the fact that they were vaccinated (both were)…
Chucy
Jan 8, 2022 at 8:49 pm
I’d be very interested in any clear, authoritative statements on exactly when Reed and Stricker were vaccinated.
It’s like the easiest question in the world. “Were you vaccinated, and boosted?” Answering,“Yes,” and some dates.
This story didn’t have that info on Stricker. And the previous reporting on Reed never made it clear either.
Brandon
Jan 7, 2022 at 7:13 pm
Remember all of human history before 2019 when people got sick and went to the hospital for things other than Covid? Those things still exist.
Sisted Twister
Jan 10, 2022 at 2:42 am
Brandon is correct. The comments about this being caused by the vaccine are fake news and absolutely ridiculous. I’ve been vaccinated for many things in my life, including 3 for cov, and none has caused me any harm. Nor hundreds of millions of other people.
Stricker is lucky, though, that he was able to be treated. Anti-vax, anti-mask, anti-smart people are clogging hospitals nation-wide with serious cov illness. Maybe once we reach 1M dead in the US, a few more will take it seriously?
Bob Pegram
Jan 10, 2022 at 3:18 pm
The Covid shots AREN’T vaccines! They are gene changers.They could have screwed up his system so bad that he became suseptible to something he had previously had no problem with. Did that happen? Who knows. The “vaccine” can cause all sorts of weird reactions depending on a person’s inherent weaknesses. It could be unrelated to the Covid shots. We are not given enough info to know. The comments by others who have had hepatitis with similar symptoms sound relevant at first glance. Could the shots have aggravated a pre-existing systemic weakness he had? Again, who knows?
Herman Cain
Jan 18, 2022 at 10:03 am
Yes, who knows? Clearly you don’t know, so stop spreading false information about things you are completely ignorant about.
Chucy
Jan 24, 2022 at 12:41 pm
I don’t care what sort of public forum it might be; social media, a message board, a comments page…
A comment like the one you posted should not go without being challenged and called out as a lie. Dangerous misinformation which harms public health.
ClubFoot
Feb 18, 2022 at 12:12 pm
Yep. After the 2nd Moderna I had to change my jeans 4 times. Just can’t clench my butt like I used too.
This here injection is definitely jean changer.
Jerome
Jan 10, 2022 at 5:00 pm
It is funny how you belittle those who do actual research.
Dave
Jan 12, 2022 at 8:25 am
Agreed…….dude is brainwashed
Tyler Durden
Jan 14, 2022 at 8:53 pm
Going on the internet while you take a dump is not “doing your oe\wn research”
Stefan Molyneux
Jan 22, 2022 at 4:24 pm
Tyler, not an argument.