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Stricker captures his first major

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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

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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.

 

McCarron Captures American Family Insurance title

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52-year-old Scott McCarron fired a final round eight-under par 64 on Sunday to win the 2018 American Family Insurance Championship.

McCarron posted a three-round score of 15-under 201 for a one stroke victory over Madison’s Jerry Kelly.  He finished two shots better than Fred Couples, Colin Montgomerie and tournament host Steve Stricker.

McCarron birdied five of his last 10 holes to earn his 15th professional victory and seventh on the Champions Tour.  He pockets $300,000 for the victory.

Jerry Kelly shot a seven-under 65 and had a one shot lead through 16 holes before missing a 10-footer for birdie on 17.  He parred 18.

Stricker shot a seven-under 65 on Sunday, but his two-over 74 on Saturday turned out to be the difference.

AUDIO: Steve Stricker says Saturday’s 74 cost him :17

AUDIO: Jerry Kelly thought he played well enough to win :17

AUDIO: Scott McCarron said it’s great to win against a stacked field :22

 

Stricker earns a spot in next weeks U.S. Open

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Steve Stricker

Edgerton’s Steve Stricker has earned a spot in next weeks U.S. Open Field, qualifying in Memphis, Tennessee on Monday.  Stricker shot rounds of 68 and 65 in 36-hole sectional qualifying to earn a spot in the U.S. Open field June 14-17.

Stricker has 12 wins on the PGA Tour and a pair of wins this year on the PGA Tour Champions, but he has never won a major.  He does have 13 top-10 finishes, four of them in the U.S. Open.  Stricker’s best finishes came in 1999 when he finished fifth.  He tied for fifth in 1998.

Last year, Stricker also advanced through sectional qualifying and tied for 16th at Erin Hills.

 

Stricker picked to assist with U.S. Ryder Cup team

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Steve Stricker

U.S. Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk has appointed Madison’s Steve Stricker as a vice captain for this years team on Tuesday.  Tiger Woods was also appointed a vice captain.  Davis Love III was selected to assist Furyk earlier.

Stricker will be a vice captain in the third straight Ryder Cup tournament.  It comes after he served as team captain at last falls Presidents Cup.

The Ryder Cup matches are the last week of September outside of Paris.

 

 

Champions Tour event in the fold through 2020

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Steve Stricker

The American Family Insurance Championship has finalized contract extensions through 2020.

The extension calls for the event to continue at University Ridge, which will undergo a number of improvements, including Bunker renovation, expansion of the players’ locker room and dining facilities, expansion of tournament operations staging locations as well as other on course improvements.

This years event will be held June 18-24 at University Ridge in Madison.  The three round event is hosted by Madison’s 12-time PGA Tour winner Steve Stricker.  Stricker partnered with American Family Insurance to bring PGA Tour competition back to the state.

In just two years, the tournament has raised more than $2.7 million for charity and more than 100,000 fans came to watch.

Fred Couples won last years event.  Stricker, who made his debut last year, tied for third.

 

 

Stricker makes captains picks for upcoming Presidents Cup

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Steve Stricker

U.S. Captain and Madison native Steve Stricker selected Phil Mickelson and Charley Hoffman as his two captains picks for the upcoming Presidents Cup.

Mickelson was in danger of missing his first Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup since 1993.  He hadn’t played well this year, but Stricker gave Mickelson until the very end to prove himself and that he did.  Mickelson shot all four rounds in the 60’s last weekend at the Dell Technologies Championship in Boston and tied for 6th.

Hoffman finished a fraction of a point out of the top 10 automatic qualifiers in the final week and will be playing in his first team competition for the United States.

International Captain Nick Price picked Emiliano Grillo and Anirban Lahiri as his two captains choices.

The National Liberty Golf Club in Jersey City, New Jersey will play host to the Presidents Cup September 28 through Oct. 1.  The United States captured the last Presidents Cup competition, 15.5 to 14.5 back in 2015.

 

 

Kelly shares first round lead in Champions event

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Madison’s Jerry Kelly and David McKenzie shot 7-under-par 65’s on Friday to share the lead after the first round of the Champions Tour’s Boeing Classic in Snoqualmie, Washington.

Kelly had eight birdies and a bogey at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge.  The three-time PGA Tour winner is making his 13th senior start after turning 50 in November.

McKenzie eagles the par 5-eighth to join Kelly atop the leader board.

PGA Tour

Jordan Spieth reeled off five straight birdies on the back nine for a 5-under 65, moving into a four-way tie for the lead with Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler and Jhonattan Vegas after two rounds of The Northern Trust in Old Westbury, New York.

Madison’s Steve Stricker had a 70 and missed the cut.

The top 100 players in the Fed Ex Cup point standings after the weekend, head to the second event in the chase for the championship next week in Boston.