Like old times as Ryder Cup partners Thomas Bjorn, Darren Clarke lead PGA Tour Champions event
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Packers quarterback Jordan Love talks at AmFam Championship in Madison
The Packers quarterback is a brand ambassador for American Family Insurance.
MADISON, Wisconsin – In many ways, it felt like the previous eight editions of the American Family Insurance Championship, the PGA Tour Champions' annual swing through the state.
The weather was perfect, and fans were enjoying a few Leinenkugel's beverages on their strolls around the course. The biggest crowds were following Wisconsin legends Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly.
But one glance at the leaderboard and a scan of the houses lining TPC Wisconsin and it's clear that this is definitely not University Ridge, the tournament's previous home.
The AmFam switched to the course that Stricker co-designed and also went to a team format, with 38 duos playing best ball in the first round. That's a first for golf's senior circuit.
More: AmFam leaderboard
Thomas Bjorn and Darren Clarke emerged as leaders with a 12-under 59. They had success playing together in the 2002 Ryder Cup.
'Certainly for me knowing Thomas' game so well made it so much easier for me to go out there and free it up today,' Clarke said. 'I really enjoy playing with him because I know he's there if I mess up, and likewise, I try to be there for him.'
Steve Stricker is happy with course ... but not with his shots
Stricker thought the course played well in its professional debut.
'We thought the scoring would be pretty good,' Stricker said. 'Weather, we knew it was going to be good today and it's going to be good tomorrow.
'The course is in great condition. But you have to play well going around here. You have to hit it in the fairway, and if you don't have two guys hitting it in the fairway, you put a lot of pressure on the other guys. That's what I'm sure some teams did. If you can get two balls in the fairway, you can actually get pretty aggressive and have a lot of opportunities for birdies.'
More: Packers quarterback Jordan Love surprises fans at AmFam Championship
Despite the 7-under 64 that Stricker carded with brother-in-law Mario Tiziani, Stricker was less-than-enthused with his own round. There is added emotion with being a teammate.
'I was telling (wife and caddie) Nicki, that could have been a 10-under round pretty easily, really,' Stricker said. 'I left (Tiziani) hanging on these par 5s.
'On 7 I hit it in the hazard, 11 I didn't get it up over the top of the hill. Uncharacteristic of some of the things that I do, too. Kind of left him hanging on those holes where he's in perfect position. If you have another guy in there, kind of frees him up to hit a better chip or whatever the case may be. Yeah, not happy with how I left him hanging on some of those par 5s where we should have been making birdies.'
Stricker also not feeling his best
Stricker has battled numerous health problems over the past few years.
Most serious was a mysterious illness in 2022 that sidelined the 58-year-old Edgerton native for several months in 2022, not long after captaining the U.S. team to a Ryder Cup victory at Whistling Straits.
Lately, pain in his back, neck and shoulder has been nagging him, keeping him from a chunk of the Champions Tour schedule.
'Yeah, I'm frustrated,' Stricker said. 'I'm frustrated how I feel, to be quite honest because I don't feel like I'm capable of doing what I want to do.
'I actually hit a really couple, two good shots in a row at 13 and then again at 14, and then it was gone again. It's not … I don't know, I don't know what it is. Struggling to get through the ball in general, so that's frustrating.'
Jerry Kelly talks about scramble format for second round
Kelly was paired with Justin Leonard and ended up at 6-under.
'It was all right through the first 10,' said Kelly, a Madison native who won back-to-back AmFam titles in 2019 and 2021. 'We got through 5 and 9 ham-and-egging it.
'And then Justin made another one on 10 and, here we go, we've got a par 5 coming up. He hits one left, I top a 3-wood and basically … we didn't really have our best games from there on.'
The unique format changes in the second round with a switch to a scramble.
'Tomorrow will be fun,' Leonard said. 'Just our games are very similar.
'Jerry's so consistent. I wasn't very consistent today. I found a little something late in the day and … look, we love playing golf, we love competing, we love playing together.
'To be able to do it in Jerry's hometown with the crowds tomorrow will be a lot of fun. And we'll make a few more birdies tomorrow and hopefully hear the crowds a little bit more than we did today.'
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