MADISON – His face flush, Steve Stricker crossed his arms but he wasn’t going to hold back.
The tears came as he reflected on the 15-year journey to the moment late Sunday afternoon when he was handed the American Family Insurance Championship trophy.
“Look where we are today,” he said, his voice cracking. “It’s really cool.”
The Edgerton native and Madison resident weathered spring like conditions at University Ridge Golf Course superbly, carding a 3-under 69 to finish the PGA Tour Champions event with a new scoring record at 18-under 198 for the three rounds. Kirk Triplett, the tournament’s inaugural winner in 2016, held the previous mark at 17-under.
On the last, Stricker rolled in a par putt and then tightly hugged his wife, Nicki.
“I’m just really happy for him,” said Jerry Kelly, who waited after his round to watch his friend finish the job behind the 18th green. “As long as he can get it out of the way and not do it again, you know? No, I’m truly happy for him. What a great family and what they’ve done for this tournament. Even for my tournament. It’s pretty awesome to have a tournament in your hometown like this. It’s definitely because of Steve. He definitely deserves this.”
Nicki Stricker caddied for her husband through the week, and the couple celebrated with a signature handshake on his way to the 18th green, and then with embraces with their daughters Bobbi and Izzi.
“It’s very special,” Steve Stricker said of having his family so close. “Anytime I get this opportunity to win a golf tournament and have them be here with me is very special. Nicki’s been on the bag a lot. We’ve all wanted me to win this event and finally it happened. It’s a special day for us.”
Kelly, Stricker and Skip Kendall have competed against one another for decades, and at one time or another all felt the pressure of trying to win the PGA Tour’s Greater Milwaukee Open in the late 1990s and early 2000s. For over a decade, the trio (along with Appleton’s J.P. Hayes) combined for a dozen top-10 finishes at their “home course,” while Kelly and Stricker each had runner-up finishes in the GMO.
Kendall acknowledged they couldn’t help but feel the pressure to win such an event, and Kelly finally broke through on a Wisconsin course when he won the 2019 and 2021 AmFam Championships.
Though Kendall finished well before Stricker on Sunday, the result felt predestined.
“How can you… you can’t write a better script than that,” Kendall said.
And Stricker acknowledged pulling this one out was difficult as he battled his emotions throughout.
“It was very special,” he said. “I had a couple opportunities the first six years and didn’t finish the job on Sunday. Today was a difficult today. Not only with the weather but just fighting my nerves and emotions of trying to win a golf tournament, especially here in Madison. So, yeah, this one is pretty sweet. I held it together today. It’s a day that could’ve gotten…
Read More: ‘This one is pretty sweet’ 2023-06-11 23:47:32