no win, but strick’s still the show
tim rosaForte
All dawn lageson wanted
was her own Steve Stricker
bobblehead doll and a four-peat in quad cities. the
owner of lady dawn’s Sports
bar and Grill in blanchardville, Wis., was on the phone
Saturday night with Stricker’s
father-in-law dennis tiziani —
telling tiziani every flat-screen
in her place would be tuned
into the final round of the John
deere classic. “it’ll be like the
Super bowl,” she promised.
back a four-wheel-drive
vehicle that he uses to plow
snow at home in Madison. last year he received
company credit and bought
a tractor that he uses on his
farm in blanchardville for
the food plots to hunt deer.
“he’s one of them,” said
tiziani. “he kind of speaks
the language, and he’s
always consistent.”
he’s here,” said lageson.
“i can’t speak for him, but
that’s what he loves about
small towns. people tease
me that i’m hanging around
with the rich and famous.
it’s funny because Steve is
just the opposite of that.
he’s just the most down to
earth, nicest person.”
western boy, Zach Johnson
of cedar rapids, iowa.
As bummed out as they
were at lady dawn’s,
Stricker’s following remained loyal. lady dawn’s
father had t-shirts made
with the John deere colors
and logo that said “
three-peat.” lady dawn’s plans to
have shirts made with “four
times,” were shot for now.
in blanchardville (
population 824), there is no
question about what tournament on the pGA tour
deserves fifth-major status.
it’s not the players. it’s the
deere. As for pro golfers,
townsfolk only know one.
“the whole community is
Steve Stricker heaven,” lady
dawn said getting ready for
her big Sunday.
on a friday night, it’s not
unusual for Stricker to drive
45 minutes from his home
with one of his daughters for
lady dawn’s fish fry. Steak
night is Saturday; that’s
another favorite of Stricker’s.
lady dawn does all the
cooking. “i tried to get him to
bring tiger down here, but
tiger doesn’t like hunting,”
lady dawn said. “he’s a
fisherman, Steve says.”
lageson had a personal sto-
ry involving her father, don-
ald, who died of a stroke six
days before his 87th birth-
day in february. “My dad
idolized Steve,” dawn said.
“he’d come in and shake
his cane and be mad if we
didn’t have the Golf channel
on. the most touching thing
i’ve ever experienced was to
see those two [Stricker and
tiziani] walk into my dad’s
visitation.”
She’ll get the bobblehead,
but not the win. “i wish i
could have pulled it off and
gone for five,” Stricker said.
“Maybe i can start another
streak next year.”
When Stricker won the Jdc
in 2009, one of the perks
he took home was a John
deere riding mower. When
he won in 2010, he brought
When Stricker enters
lageson’s bar, it’s as if
he’s wearing camouflage.
“he sits down and a lot of
people don’t even know
Sunday at the deere, Strick-
er didn’t have it. he drove
over from the hampton inn
by the airport in quad cit-
ies, made three costly back-
nine bogeys, shot 70 and
finished t- 5 to another mid-
