American Family Insurance
Star power teeing off in Madison this coming week: Brett Favre (left) and Steve Stricker.
Steve Stricker is finally old enough to play in the tournament he hosts. One of Madison’s most famous golfers turned 50 in February, making him eligible for the second annual American Family Insurance Championship on June 19-25 at University Ridge Golf Course. The no-cut, 54-hole PGA Tour Champions event for golfers over 50 once again will feature an 81-player field competing for a $2 million purse.
In addition to Stricker and fellow Madison golfer Jerry Kelly, other high-profile players competing include Vijay Singh, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez, Tom Lehman and Scott McCarron.
A celebrity foursome of Brett Favre, Derek Jeter, two-time U.S. Open champion (and yet another Madison golfer) Andy North and singer-songwriter Darius Rucker will tee off from the 10th hole on June 24 at approximately 1:30 p.m., following the day’s final tournament group. (Rucker, the former lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish, also will perform at Breese Stevens Field on June 23.)
Last year, the week-long event raised more than $1 million that was distributed to American Family Children’s Hospital and 33 other local charities. That amount was among the highest ever generated by a first-year PGA Tour Champions event. All told, 56,000 people from 26 states attended the 2016 American Family Championship, bringing an estimated $12 million in economic impact to Madison.
Crowds flocked to the AmFam event in 2016.
“The community and the fans really support this, so our operational support has to match that level,” says Nate Pokrass, tournament director for the American Family Insurance Championship, one of 27 such events in 19 states and three countries on the 2017 Champions schedule.
To that end, local organizers increased the amount of bleacher seating, added more video boards and expanded the concessions stands — all as a result of lessons learned from first-year growing pains, Pokrass says.
In addition to Rucker’s Friday night concert, other new additions include “Concerts on the Course,” a free family-friendly performance by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra at University Ridge on June 21. The Pro-Am golf tournament will be held earlier that day and will be open to the public for the first time.
Stricker is in the middle of a busy month. He is scheduled to tee off on June 15 at the 2017 U.S. Open, held this year at Erin Hills, located about 35 miles northeast of Milwaukee.
“The world is going to be watching golf,” Pokrass says about the next several days. “And everybody will be focused on Wisconsin.”