MADISON, Wisc. Steve Stricker's face flushed, he crossed his arms. But he was not going to hold back.
He shed tears as he thought back on his 15-year journey, culminating in the moment late on Sunday afternoon when the American Family Insurance Championship Trophy was presented to him.
He said with a cracking voice, "Look at where we are now." It's pretty cool."
Edgerton, a native of Madison and a resident of Edgerton, weathered the spring-like conditions at University Ridge Golf Course with ease. He carded a 3-under 69 for a score that is now 18-under 198. Kirk Triplett was the inaugural winner of the tournament in 2016. His previous score was 17 under.
Stricker hugged Nicki and rolled a par-putting on the last hole.
Jerry Kelly said, "I am just so happy for him." He waited to see his friend complete the task behind the 18th hole after his round. "As long he gets it done and doesn't do it again," said Jerry Kelly. No, I am truly happy for him. What an amazing family they are and what they have done for this tourney. Even for my own tournament. It's awesome to be able to host a tournament like this in your hometown. Steve is definitely to thank. "He definitely deserves it."
Nicki Stricker caddied throughout the week for her husband. The couple celebrated by shaking hands on the way to the 18th hole, then hugging their daughters Bobbi, Izzi, and Izzi.
Nicki Stricker on what it means to @stevestricker to win the @amfamchamp in his home state of Wisconsin https://t.co/O28wlgTflD pic.twitter.com/8Qu4z8s9i7
-- PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) June 11, 2023
Steve Stricker described his family's closeness as "very special". "It's very special to have my family here when I win a tournament. Nicki has been on the bag quite a bit. It was a dream come true for us all to see me win. "It's a very special day for all of us."
Kelly, Stricker, and Skip Kendall all competed in the PGA Tour’s Greater Milwaukee Open at some point during the 1990s or early 2000s. Over the past decade, Kelly, Stricker and Skip Kendall (alongside Appleton's J.P. Hayes), combined for a dozen of the top-10 finishes on their "home courses", while Kelly Stricker both finished as runners-up in the GMO.
Kendall admitted that they could not help but feel pressure to win an event of this magnitude. Kelly broke through in Wisconsin when he won both the 2019 and the 2021 AmFam Championships.
The result was predetermined, even though Kendall won the race by a considerable margin over Stricker.
Kendall asked, "How could you... You can't have written a better script."
Stricker admitted that it was hard to pull this one off as he fought his emotions all the way through.
He said, "It was a very special moment." "I missed a few opportunities in the first six-year period and I didn't complete the task on Sunday. Today was difficult. It was not only the weather, but also my nerves and emotions in trying to win this golf tournament here in Madison. This one's pretty sweet. Today I managed to keep it together. The conditions could have made it a very easy day. "Holded it together. So proud of myself for that and yeah, it feels great to win."
Stricker has won four times on the PGA Tour Champions in this season.
Stricker was able to win the tournament by five shots despite a strong challenge from Colin Montgomerie. The Scotsman, who played three groups in front of Stricker and thrived under the conditions, set the pace for the event by reaching 14-under through 11 holes.
He lost ground when he shot 3-over the final stretch. Montgomerie finished the day tied for fourth with a 3-under-69.
Stricker's day started out as unlucky as the weather.
As temperatures dropped over 30 degrees in just two rounds of sun-soaked weather, deep breaths filled the air until early afternoon. The wind stiffened the flags and cooled the air instead of providing a welcome relief from heat. Soft rain brought out green on the golf course.
Stricker wore an all-black rainsuit as he started his tournament as co-leader, along with Paul Broadhurst and Justin Leonard who led the first round.
Stricker is not shy about sharing his emotions, and he was aware that he would be nervous. Stricker had not made a bogey for 29 consecutive holes in the first two round, but he would make a mistake on his opening hole. He birdied the next hole. He birdied no. 2 to bring his score back up to 15-under.
"It's a big deal to get the birdie back right away on No. "2 is a huge deal," he stated. "I was surprised to find that I wasn't nervous today. In other years I have been flustered, but today I was just so determined to succeed that I kept my head down. I bogeyed a no. No. 10, I made a three-putt. Then I came back and birdied the next hole. "Each time I made a mistake, I bounced right back. That helped keep the momentum going."
Stricker finished his front nine after five consecutive pars with two consecutive birdies at Nos. After five straight pars, Stricker closed his front nine with consecutive birdies on Nos. To give him a four-shot advantage over Montgomerie, he would shoot 9 and no.
No one else could mount a challenge as Montgomerie waned.
Leonard, who had shot a tournament-record 62 in the opening round, was unable to keep up with the leaders after going 3-over on his first five greens. He finished tied for fourth place, carding a 2-over score of 74. Broadhurst was pushed to the side with two bogeys at No. No. 7 and No. 8. With a score of 74, he tied Steven Alker for second place at 13 under par for the entire tournament.
Joe Durant, Stephen Ames Marco Dawson Steve Flesch, and Ernie Els rounded out the top 10.
Jerry Kelly could not close the gap
Kelly, who is always truthful, began the tournament saying that he had talked himself out of the event during the practice rounds because he didn't realize the score could be low. Kelly then shot an even-par 72 the following day, and said "I sucked."
Kelly refused to smile, despite a 5-under-67 on Saturday where he had seven birdies. He did, however, hope that the weather would get worse to support his final argument and to "save faces."
Kelly's golf did not. Kelly shot a 2-under-70 to move up all the way into the 11th place tie, but felt that he missed more chances on the course.
He said, "Oh no, I'm still not satisfied with my finish." "I probably left five putts behind."
It was disappointing. "It was really disappointing." I lined it up and worked hard to get pars at the start. Then I got a few birdies, and I thought, 'Okay, now we have the easier nine, and I can make something of it. Then, yeah, it was like I stalled. I was close, but I didn't make my putts. I'm tired. My legs are exhausted. This week is an extra Monday. "I'm not as powerful as Steve."
By: Jim Owczarski
Title: Steve Stricker wins again, this time as host of 2023 American Family Insurance Championship
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/06/11/steve-stricker-wins-as-host-2023-american-family-insurance-championship/
Published Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2023 00:01:14 +0000
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