US captain Fred Couples might have thought his biggest
headache had passed when he named his final pick for the Presidents Cup earlier
this week.
Bill Haas won both the Tour Championship at East Lake, and with it clinched topped the FedEx Cup
standings justifying and earning a spot on the U.S. Team.
Instead a real pain in the neck might now have cost
Couples his highest-ranked player for the tournament.
Tests confirmed
Wednesday that World No. 4 Steve Stricker has a herniated disk in his neck.
Stricker's agent at
IMG, Jon Heaton, told reporters that an
MRI confirmed the neck injury.
He says Stricker is not feeling any pain,
although he is weak in his left arm.
While Stricker is reportedly weighing
up his options and consulting specialists, it is unsure if he will be back to
full fitness by November 17 and the start of the Presidents Cup in Melbourne, Australia.
Couples has said has said if Stricker can't play, he would be replaced by PGA
champion Keegan Bradley.