Stricker says losing Ryder Cup was biggest disappointment of pro career

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Steve Stricker had a harder time getting over the Ryder Cup than any other disappointment he has faced in 24 years as a pro, including those dark years when he lost his PGA Tour card.

Stricker and Tiger Woods didn't win a match all week, and Stricker lost the singles match to Martin Kaymer that allowed Europe to retain the cup. Most painful was failing to get up-and-down from a standard chip behind the 17th hole.

"I feel a lot of responsibility there for not winning a point, Tiger and I not winning a point," Stricker said Tuesday. "The first week or two it wasn't much fun just trying to sleep, to tell you the truth. But yeah, that one hurts, and I think it still hurts a lot of us just because of how it all played out."

Europe rallied from a four-point deficit on the last day to win the cup for the second straight time. Stricker still hasn't watched highlights of the final day, even though he has been told everything fell into place for Europe.

Stricker has said there are plenty of failures in golf, and the key is how a player can pick himself back up. He went from having limited status on the PGA Tour to winning comeback player of the year -- two years in a row -- and reaching No. 2 in the world.

"When I struggled a lot with my game in the mid-2000s, that was disappointing, but the only guy I was letting down was really myself," he said. "It takes on a new level when you've got a team to deal with and you're letting other guys down. I wish we could change it, but they did all the right things that day and we did some poor things that day. We'll all learn from it and hopefully move on."