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THE SHAG BAG

Bill Cooney has covered golf for the Wisconsin State Journal since 2004, including several U.S. Bank Championships, a pair of PGA Championships and a U.S. Senior Open as well as many state and local events. The Appleton native grew up playing Reid Municipal Golf Course -- and still considers its 17th and 18th as some of the state's top finishing holes -- and, when he has the day off, counts on the middle tees, at least one mulligan and an occasional gimme-putt to break 80 at a handful of area golf courses.

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TUE., DEC 16, 2008 - 7:08 PM

Shag Bag: Stricker's dilemma -- a Bush or a tree stand?

By DOUG FERGUSON
Associated Press

Only seven Americans from the winning Ryder Cup team were in the Oval Office to meet with Presidents George W. Bush last month, and Madison golfer Steve Stricker was among those absent.

It was a tough decision to skip a trip to the White House, but it came down to priorities.

For the last dozen years, Stricker and his father-in-law -- former University of Wisconsin golf coach Dennis Tiziani -- have taken family and friends to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a week of deer hunting when the season begins Nov. 15. The trip to the White House was Nov. 17

"I wish I could have gone, but I've done this with my father-in-law for 12 or 13 years," Stricker said Tuesday. "But it wasn't that hard of a decision because it was a family thing. Besides, I was able to go to the White House in July (during the AT&T National) and look around. So that made the decision even easier."

The only downside?

"We didn't see a single deer," he said.