Couples, Love III, Kite and Singh join the final field for the American Family Insurance Championship
Tournament will include 37 of the top 40 Charles Schwab Cup players
Updated 6-19-18: The player field listed below has been updated with winners of the June 18 tournament qualifier at the Legend of Bergamont: Clay Devers, Gibby Gilbert III, John Riegger and Grant Waite as well as other recent updates.
The final field for the 2018 American Family Insurance Championship is set, with the addition of defending champion Fred Couples and fellow World Golf Hall of Famers Davis Love III, Tom Kite and Vijay Singh. Major champion Tom Lehman will also play in the event.
Tournament officials announced the field today, and it’s arguably the strongest on this year’s PGA TOUR Champions. The American Family Insurance Championship will be held next week, June 22-24, at Madison’s University Ridge Golf Course.
The 78-player field will have the top 10 players in this year’s Charles Schwab Cup race, 19 of the top 20 and 37 of the top 40. Also in the field are championship player-host Steve Stricker and fellow Madison golf star Jerry Kelly; Charles Schwab Cup leader Bernhard Langer; and national and international golf legends John Daly, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Colin Montgomerie.
Love, Kite, Singh and David Toms, another major champion, will play in the third annual championship for the first time. Kirk Triplett, the winner of the inaugural American Family Championship, will not play to attend the Northwestern University graduation of his son, Sam, who caddied for him during his 2016 triumph.
“We are thrilled to have this exceptional field of players,” said Nate Pokrass, American Family Insurance Championship tournament director. “It’s a credit to our fans, partners and volunteers, whose enthusiasm and appreciation make for a prime destination that players don’t want to miss.”
The 78-player field, competing for a $2 million purse, will include:
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Ten players with PGA TOUR Champions wins this season: Paul Broadhurst, Mark Calcavecchia, Joe Durant, Steve Flesch, Jimenez, Kelly, Langer, Lehman, Singh and Stricker.
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Fifteen winners of the Masters, U.S. Open, The Open Championship or PGA Championship: Mark Brooks, Calcavecchia, Couples, Daly, Todd Hamilton, Janzen, Langer, Lehman, Love, Kite, Corey Pavin, Singh, Jeff Sluman, David Toms and Bob Tway.
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Six members of the World Golf Hall of Fame: Colin Montgomerie, Couples, Langer, Love, Kite and Singh. A seventh Hall of Famer, Lee Trevino, will play in the championship’s celebrity foursome.
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Ten winners of the former Greater Milwaukee Open/U.S. Bank Championship: Brooks, Carlos Franco, Jay Haas, Gary Hallberg, Scott Hoch, Billy Mayfair, Pavin, Kenny Perry, Loren Roberts and Jeff Sluman.
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Three players with Wisconsin ties: Kelly, Milwaukee-area native Skip Kendall and Stricker.
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Kendall is one of five players to receive sponsor’s exemptions. Others are Mike Small, University of Illinois golf coach and three-time champion of the PGA Professional National Championship; and PGA TOUR Champions veterans Hallberg, Steve Pate and Willie Wood.
The player field is listed below with the exception of four spots that will be determined by a Monday, June 18 tournament qualifier. The qualifier will be held at The Legend at Bergamont golf course in Oregon, Wis., just outside of Madison.
Celebrity foursome
The second round of the tournament on Saturday, June 23, will also feature a celebrity foursome, including newcomer Lee Trevino and three returning participants, Green Bay Packer great Brett Favre, New York Yankee star Derek Jeter and two-time U.S. Open champion Andy North.
The group will play a 9-hole scramble, starting on the 10th hole at approximately 1:30 p.m., following the final tournament group for the day.
Special tickets discounts available until June 18Tickets for the American Family Insurance Championship are available at AmFamChampionship.com/tickets, with special discounts for certain tickets purchased before June 18, including:
• $5 off a $25 general admission ticket
• $5 off a $20 champions ticket (50 years +)
Active duty, reserve and retired military personnel can again enjoy a free three-day pass and any child 15 and under gets free admission to the tournament with a paid adult admission.
For tournament updates, fans can follow the tournament’s social media channels: Twitter: @amfamchamp; Facebook: American Family Insurance Championship; and Instagram: AmFamChampionship.
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About the American Family Insurance Championship
American Family Insurance, the PGA TOUR Champions and PGA TOUR star and Wisconsin resident Steve Stricker launched this professional golf tournament in June 2016. The American Family Insurance Championship, held annually at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wis., features a 78-player field. Past champions include Fred Couples (2017) and Kirk Triplett (2016). Championship week includes the three-day tournament, two Pro-Am competitions, charity concert and a special exhibition featuring celebrities from the sports and music industries. The 2018 event will be held June 18-24 with all proceeds allocated to the Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Foundation for distribution to the American Family Children’s Hospital and other charities. More than $2.7 million has been donated to charity since the inaugural event in 2016. For more information: Web: www.AmFamChampionship.com; Twitter: @AmFamChamp; Facebook: American Family Insurance Championship; Instagram: amfamchampionship #AmFamChamp
About PGA TOUR Champions
PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 35 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Tour’s mission is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back and generate significant charitable and economic impact in tournament communities. In 2018, the PGA TOUR Champions schedule includes 27 tournaments across the United States, Scotland and Canada, with purses totaling more than $56 million. The Charles Schwab Cup, which includes the Regular Season and the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, is used to determine the season-long champion. All events are televised in the United States, with most receiving complete coverage on Golf Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions. Internationally, telecasts air in excess of 190 countries and territories, reaching more than 330 million potential households. Follow PGA TOUR Champions online at PGATOUR.COM, at facebook.com/PGATOURChampions, on Twitter @ChampionsTour and on Instagram @pgatourchampions.
