After a two week break, the Champions Tour continues its mid-western swing with the third annual American Family Insurance Championship at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wisconsin.
The 78-player field is headlined by Madison residents Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly, two of the senior circuit’s top performers.
In all, one of the season’s strongest fields will feature 37 of the top-40 players in the standings, led by top-ranked Bernhard Langer.
Defending champion Fred Couples will make his first start since the Masters, while Davis Love III will make his second start on the Champions Tour this season.
Here’s additional information about this week’s American Family Insurance Championship.
THE SKINNY
Tournament: American Family Insurance Championship
Dates:Â June 22-24, 2018
Where: Madison, Wisconsin
Title Sponsor: American Family Insurance
Course:Â University Ridge Golf Course
Distance: Par 72, 7,056 yards
Architect: Robert Trent Jones
Format: 54-holes, stroke play, no cut
Purse: $2,000,000
Winning Share: $300,000
Defending Champion: Fred CouplesÂ
Marquee Players:Â Couples, Steve Stricker, Bernhard Langer, Jerry Kelly, Davis Love III, Vijay Singh, Mark Calcavecchia, Billy Andrade, Miguel Angel Jimenez, John Daly, Kenny Perry, and Colin Montgomerie.
TV & ONLINE
Round 1: Fri 12:30 am-3 pm (GOLF) (Live)
Round 2: Sat 5-7 pm (GOLF) (Tape)
Round 3: Sun 5-7 pm (GOLF) (Tape)
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HISTORY
The American Family Insurance Championship is a two-year old tournament, contested in the college town of Madison, Wisconsin at the University Ridge Golf Course.
The Greg Norman-designed championship layout, stretching out to 7,259 yards, has been the host course since its inception in 2016. Kirk Triplett captured the inaugural event with a final-round 65 (−7) for 199 (−17).
The 2018 edition is the third of a five-event summer swing through mid-western states (Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Illinois).
Based out of Madison, Wisconsin, American Family Insurance (AmFam) is the title sponsor. It is a Fortune 500 company with revenues reportedly $8.7 billion (2016). AmFam’s core business focuses on property, casualty, and auto insurance, but also investment and retirement-planning products.
AmFam is in the final year of a three-year agreement as the title sponsor. Hometown hero Steve Stricker served as the tournament host in 2016 and then as player-host in 2017. Proceeds raised support the Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Foundation, the American Family Children’s Hospital, and The First Tee of South Central Wisconsin.
HISTORY: TOURNAMENT NAMES
2016-18: American Family Insurance Championship
HISTORY: RECENT WINNERS
2017: Fred Couples (-15)
2016: Kirk Triplett (-17)
HISTORY: RECORDS
18-HOLE SCORING
63 – Esteban Toledo (Rd 1) 2016
63 – Gene Sauers (Rd 1) 2016
63 – Paul Broadhurst (Rd 1) 2017
54-HOLE SCORING
-17, 199 – Kirk Triplett
DEFENDING CHAMPION
Fred Couples carded a final-round 66 and turned a three-stroke deficit into a two-stroke victory at the second-annual American Family Insurance Championship.
Couples trailed Paul Broadhurst by three at the start of the final round, but a five-hole stretch on Sunday flipped the final script.
As Couples birdied Nos. 7, 9, 10 and 11 to get to 15 under, Broadhurst made bogeys on Nos. 6 and 9 en route to a final-day 73 to fall to 11-under and solo-fifth.
Scott Verplank shot a 69 to move into solo second place at 13-under par. Joe Durant (67) and Steve Stricker (69) tied for third at 12 under.
FINAL TOP 5
1 Fred Couples -15
2 Scott Verplank -13
3 Joe Durant -12
3 Steve Stricker -12
5 Paul Broadhurst -11
THE FIELD
The field in Wisconsin is headlined by Hall of Famer Bernhard Langer, and local stars Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly, who rank Nos. 1, 3 and 4, respectively, in the Charles Schwab Cup race. They will be joined by five other Hall of Fame members in Fred Couples, Tom Kite, Davis Love III, Colin Montgomerie, and Vijay Singh.
Additionally, the field also includes 37 of the top-40 players in the current Charles Schwab Cup standings, highlighted by 10 of the top 10, including, among those already not listed, No. 2 Paul Broadhurst, No. 5 Miguel Angel Jiménez, No. 6 Joe Durant, No. 7 Gene Sauers, No. 8 Scott McCarron, No. 9 David Toms, and No. 10 Tom Lehman.
Other big names in the field include John Daly, David Toms, Rocco Mediate, and Mark Calcavecchia.
FULL FIELD & ODDS
Credits: PGA Tour Media, Getty Images
