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Another record year for American Family Insurance Championship

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Jack Salzwedel – Steve Stricker – Nicki Stricker

The 2019 American Family Insurance Championship raised a record $2.4 million for charity.  In its fourth year, the 2019 event raised a record $2,404,000, an increase of $337,000 (21 percent) over 2018.

It brings the total amount raised for charity since the inaugural event in 2016 to $7,185,000.

Half of the 2019 proceeds will be distributed to the American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin.  Nearly 100 other primarily local charities will share the remaining $1.2 million in varying amounts.

The grand total raised and charitable organization recipients were revealed at an event on Wednesday at the American Family Insurance corporate headquarters.  The event featured championship host/player Steve Stricker, his wife, Nicki, American Family Insurance Chair and CEO Jack Salzwedel, numerous tournament sponsors, and volunteers.

The fourth annual American Family Insurance Championship was held in June at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison.  More than 70,000 spectators from 32 states attended during the three days of tournament play.

Next year’s event will be held earlier than previous years with the three day tournament running from June 5-7.  Madison’s Jerry Kelly will return as defending champion and Stricker will play in the tournament for the fourth time.

 

Kelly wins on PGA Tour Champions

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Jerry Kelly – File Photo

Jerry Kelly played bogey-free golf on Sunday, closing with a 4-under-par 68, posting a 2-shot victory in the Ally Challenge in Grand Blanc, Michigan.  It’s the second victory of the year for the Madison native, drawing him closer to Schwab Cup leader Scott McCarron.

Kelly had a pair of birdies on the front nine, and he took control on the back nine, making his final birdie on the par-3 17th.  Woody Austin shot a final round 69 to finish along in second place.

Kelly also won two months ago, capturing the American Family Insurance Championship at University Ridge in Madison.  He becomes the fourth multiple winner this year on the PGA Tour Champions, joining McCarron (three wins), and Steve Stricker and Bernhard Langer (two each).

Kelly earned $300,000 for the win after finishing the tournament at 16-under par.

Fox Point’s Skip Kendall finished tied for 48th.

 

Stricker has first day lead at Senior Championship

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Steve Stricker

Madison’s Steve Stricker has the first round lead at the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship.  Stricker was at 5-under-par through 17 holes when play was suspended by rain and lightning for the day.

Stricker’s opening round included a hole-in-one on the 184-yard, par-3 seventh at Firestone Country Club.  He was in the middle of the 18th fairway when play was stopped.  He’ll resume play at 7 a.m. Friday morning.

Stricker is seeking his third straight major victory on the PGA Tour Champions after winning the Regions Tradition and then the U.S. Senior Open.

Paul Goydos was second at 2-under after five holes.  Madison’s Jerry Kelly was one over after six holes.

PGA Tour

Roberto Diaz fired a 9-under 62 to take the first-round lead in the John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois.  Adam Long and Russell Henley are two strokes back.

 

Stricker dominates for U.S. Senior Open win

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Steve Stricker (File Photo) – Copyright USGA – John Gress

Madison’s Steve Stricker shot a final round 1-under 69 to post a six-shot win over Jerry Kelly and David Thomas to win the U.S. Senior Open Championship in South Bend, Indiana on Sunday.

Stricker finished at 19-under 261, breaking Kenny Perry’s U.S. Senior Open record by three strokes.

It’s the second PGA Champions Tour major victory of the season for Stricker.  He earlier won the Regions Tradition in May by six strokes.

Just a week ago, Stricker lost the American Family Insurance Championship in a playoff to Kelly.  Sunday, he got a little bit of revenge against his long time friend.

Stricker shared the first round lead with Toms after a record-tying 62.  He pulled away on day two and nobody could stay with him.

Stricker earned $720,000 for the win, but even more importantly, he earned a spot in next year’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot, where he tied for sixth back in 2006.

 

Stricker tops the leader board at U.S. Senior Open

By

Steve Stricker

One week after falling short at the American Family Insurance Championship, Madison’s Steve Stricker finds himself tied for the lead with defending champion David Toms at the U.S. Senior Open in South Bend, Indiana.

Stricker fired an opening round 8-under par 62, tallying seven birdies and an eagle in his opening round.

Toms had 10 birdies, which set a U.S. Senior Open record.

Stricker and Toms are two shots better than Madison’s Jerry Kelly and Kirk Triplett.

 

Kelly wins AmFam title in a playoff

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Madison’s Jerry Kelly held off tournament host Steve Stricker and World Golf Hall of Famer Retief Goosen in a playoff to win the American Family Insurance Championship  on Sunday at University Ridge.

Stricker missed a birdie putt from 8-feet away on the final regulation hole that would have given him the title.  Stricker then dropped out of the three way playoff on the first extra hole.

Kelly needed to more holes to knock off Goosen, winning with a birdie on the par 4 15th hole.

Kelly actually had the chance to win it in regulation as well, but he bogied the final hole of regulation to let Goosen and Stricker back into the mix.

Stricker missed some chances with the putter in the final round and still had an opportunity to win late. [Read more…]

Stricker captures his first major

By

Steve Stricker

Madison’s Steve Stricker captured the first major of his professional golf career, winning his first senior major in Birmingham, Alabama.  Stricker closed with a 4-under-par 68 for a six-shot victory at the weather-delayed Regions Tradition.

Stricker took a two-shot lead into the final round and then went bogey-free on Monday, finishing at 18-under-270.  It was  his fourth win in 18 PGA Tour Champions starts.

Stricker won 12 times on the PGA Tour but never captured a major.  His best chance came at the 1998 PGA Championship, when he finished second to Vijay Singh.  Stricker also was runner-up to Miguel Angel Jimenez at last year’s Regions Tradition.

Billy Andrade, Paul Goydos and David Toms tied for second, but Stricker had no challengers down the Stretch.

Stricker now has a quick turn-around as he’s schedules to compete at the PGA Championship later this week at Bethpage Black.

American Family Championship gets more commits today

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PGA TOUR Champions rookies Darren Clarke, Retief Goosen and Chris DiMarco have committed to the 2019 American Family Insurance Championship, to be held June 21-23 at University Ridge Golf Course.

The three will join tournament host Steve Stricker, Jerry Kelly, Scott McCarron and Kirk Triplett, who earlier made commitments.  The full 78-player field for the championship will be set June 14.

Clarke, of Northern Ireland, is best known for his victory at the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St. George’s in England.  The veteran of the European Tour and PGA TOUR has 21 tournament wins worldwide.

Goosen, of South Africa, will be enshrined into the World Golf Hall of Fame in June.  He’s a two-time major champion, winning the U.S. Open in 2001 and 2007.

DeMarco won three times on the PGA Tour.  He is perhaps best known for his final-round battle with Tiger Woods in the 2005 Masters, where Woods outlasted him in a sudden death playoff.

 

Stricker Named 2020 U.S. Ryder Cup Captain

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Steve Stricker – Photo Courtesy of the PGA of America.

To nobody’s surprise, Madison’s Steve Stricker was named the captain for the 2020 United States Ryder Cup team that will battle the Europeans at Whistling Straits near Kohler from Sept. 22-27, 2020.

Stricker said he had prepared himself not to cry, but that didn’t last long as he fought back tears early on during Wednesday’s PGA of America press conference at Fiserv Vorum.

Stricker has experience for the job, serving as a Ryder Cup Vice Captain in 2016 and a President’s Cup Captain in 2017.

Stricker has been involved in a number of big events during his career but admitted today that it doesn’t get any better than this.

“This is the highlight of my career probably,” he said.  “That AmFam Championship event that we put on in Madison, being able to raise a couple million dollars for our foundation and to be able to give that away is pretty special too, but yeah, being a captain of a team, a U.S. team, here in Wisconsin, my backyard, is really special and probably the top of the list.” [Read more…]

Stricker to be named Ryder Cup Captain

By

Steve Stricker

The PGA of America has scheduled a news conference for Wednesday morning at Fiserv Forum to announce what has been assumed for some time now.

According to Gary D’Amato of Wisconsin.Golf, Madison’s Steve Stricker will be announced as the captain of the 2020 United States Ryder Cup team.

Stricker has served as a Ryder Cup assistant captain and will now lead the U.S. squad at Whistling Straits near Kohler from Sept. 25-27, 2020.

The Ryder Cup, held every other year, has never taken place on Wisconsin soil.

The 51-year-old Stricker has won 12 PGA Tour events, as well as three PGA Tour Champions events.  Stricker never won a major, but he did finish second at the PGA Championship in 1998 and has 13 top-10 finishes in majors.

Stricker is widely respected by his peers in the world of golf but will be the first U.S. captain without a major championship.

Europe has won four of the last five Ryder Cups, including last year’s event in France.