Tag: Sanford International

Steve Stricker wins 2024 Sanford International in a playoff, makes it a double three-peat

No one has ever three-peated on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. Until now.

No one has ever three-peated on both the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. Until now.

Steve Stricker became a notable first Sunday with his third straight victory in the 2024 Sanford International. Coupled with his three straight wins at the John Deere Classic from 2009 to 2011, and he now holds a unique place in the PGA Tour history books.

Stricker started the final round at at Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, three shots back of the lead of Michael Wright.

Stricker was up two shots late but he bogeyed the par-4 closing hole and then watched Richard Green birdie the last and so off to a playoff they went.

On the fourth extra hole, Stricker’s approach rolled up and hit the flagstick.

Stricker shot 67-68-67 for the week. The victory was his fourth in the seven-year history of the tournament and his 18th Champions win. He won 12 times on the PGA Tour.

Making a Sunday charge but coming up just short was Bernhard Langer. He shot a Sunday 67 to finish at 7 under. Just a week ago, he lost in a playoff, so this gives him consecutive runner-up finishes. Langer tied for second along with Green. Ernie Els, the leader in the Charles Schwab Cup points, also tied for third at 7 under.

Steven Alker and Wright tied for fifth at 6 under. Wright, 50 and a PGA Tour Champions rookie, was one of five to earn his  way on tour this season via Q school last November, was the 36-hole leader but after rounds of 67 and 65.

Steve Stricker wins Sanford International for sixth PGA Tour Champions victory of season

The Ryder Cup vice captain opened the week with course-record 62.

K.J. Choi and Steve Stricker posted matching course-record 62s on Friday to open the 2023 Sanford International.

Stricker then went 66-66 over the weekend at Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to earn a one-stroke win, his sixth victory of the 2023 season and 17th overall on the PGA Tour Champions.

One of two Ryder Cup vice captains in the field (Jim Furyk is the other), Stricker had 16 birdies – including five in a row on the back nine during the first round – and two eagles over 54 holes. The eagles came on the 12th hole on Saturday and Sunday. He had only four bogeys on the week, including one the 18th Sunday, but a two-shot cushion before that hole assured him some wiggle room.

“There are a lot of guys up around the lead and it just became a two-man race there towards the end. It’s always a challenge. You’re fighting your game, you’re fighting your nerves, you’re just trying to get it done,” he said. “It’s so rewarding when you do, and it’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of fun to come here and play and enjoy the area, enjoy the course. Couldn’t ask for a better week.”

Stricker picked up $300,000 for the win and in the process set the mark for most money earned in a season on the Champions tour with $3,956,127.

Bernhard Langer finished solo fourth, marking his seventh straight top-10 finish of the season, a streak that started when he won the U.S. Senior Open in July. He shot a final-round 64 and was 12 under for the week, four shots back of Stricker.

John Daly, meanwhile, had had his best finish in more than a year with a tie for eighth. Daly’s average finish this season is 65th and he has WD’d from two events. This week, he went 66-64-70.

Aces high

There were two holes-in-one during the first round. Fred Funk aced the 17th hole using a hybrid from 199 yards while John Senden got his on No. 8 with a pitching wedge from 132 yards. There was another ace on Sunday when Jerry Kelly got one on the 17th hole.

Shooting his age or better

Dick Mast, 72, got in the field after Monday qualifying and bettered his age with even-par 70 in the first round. He matched his age with a 72 in Saturday’s third round. He beat his age by a shot during Sunday’s final round and tied for 67th, beating nine golfers, including Jim Furyk and European Ryder Cup vice captain Jose Maria Olazabal.

John Daly posts best finish in 15 months on PGA Tour Champions at Sanford International

Welcome back, John Daly.

Welcome back, John Daly.

The big hitter and fan favorite had his best week of golf in more than a year at the 2023 Sanford International, breaking 70 for just the fourth and fifth time all season during the first and second rounds. He finished with an even-par 70 and a tie for eighth.

Daly’s previous best finish in 2023 was a tie for 38th in July at the Galleri Classic at Mission Hills Country Club. Daly’s average finish this season is 65th and he has WD’d from two events.

This week, he opened 66-64 at Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He finished 10 under.

Prior to this week, he had just three rounds in the 60s in 30 rounds played. Daly’s last top-10 finish was a tie for eighth at the American Family Insurance Championship in June of 2022. He withdrew from the Sanford in 2022.

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Steve Stricker tops Robert Karlsson in a playoff at 2022 Sanford International on eve of Presidents Cup

The win is Stricker’s 10th on the PGA Tour Champions and third of the season.

Robert Karlsson opened with a 62 on Thursday, the best round of the week at Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Steve Stricker went 64-64 over the weekend. By late Sunday, the two found themselves tied at 14 under and locking horns in a playoff at the Sanford International.

Karlsson was tied for the lead at 10 under with Jeff Maggert after 36 holes and Sunday, after birdies on Nos. 16 and 17, had a chance to win in regulation with one more birdie but ended up with a par at the last.

Stricker, who won this event in 2018, shot his 17th straight round of par or better and his 12th straight such round at the Sanford on Sunday.

He made quick work of the playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole, the par-4 18th, for his 10th win, and third this season, on the PGA Tour Champions.

“It didn’t break as much in regulation because I was a little bit, I don’t know what happened there, it just kind of rode high. So I had a good feeling for the speed here in the playoff,” he said. “You’re trying to hit a good putt, it’s a tough putt to make, but fortunate that it went in. It was a cool feeling. To make a putt last hole in a playoff in front of all these people is pretty cool.”

Stricker can now turn his sights on Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Presidents Cup, where he will be an assistant captain starting Monday.

Fred Couples, also a 2022 assistant captain, closed his week in Sioux Falls by going backdoor on a closing birdie to shoot a final-round 72.

Couples joins Stricker, Zach Johnson and first-timer Webb Simpson as assistants alongside captain Davis Love III at the Presidents Cup. Couples tied for 38th.

Charles Schwab Cup points leader Steve Alker finished for tied for 58th after a final-round 76.

Colin Montgomerie withdrew from the Sanford before the start of the second round. John Daly withdrew during the second round.

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Padraig Harrington pays bar tab for more than 40 caddies at PGA Tour Champions event in South Dakota

If you believe in karma, Padraig Harrington is a lock to win this week on the PGA Tour Champions.

If you believe in karma, Padraig Harrington is a lock to win this week on the PGA Tour Champions.

Harrington just won last week in St. Louis, his second victory on the senior circuit in three weeks and his third overall during his rookie campaign.

He’s in the field at the Sanford International this week, which has returned to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

On Tuesday night, a large caddie party broke out at a local bar and Harrington caught wind of it.

By the end of the night, according to caddie Troy Martin, Harrington “dominated the pool table and picked up the entire tab.”

It’s always good to take care of the caddies.

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Darren Clarke wins Sanford International in playoff over Steve Flesch, K.J. Choi

Darren Clarke birdied the second playoff hole to win the Sanford International in in South Dakota.

SOUIX FALLS, S.D. — Steve Flesch had his chance to win the fourth edition of the Sanford International in regulation.

K.J. Choi had the win in front of him on the first playoff hole.

Both men missed their opportunities.

Darren Clarke, meanwhile, just kept hanging in there, and when he got his chance he didn’t miss.

Clarke, Flesch and Choi finished the three-day PGA Tour Champions event tied at 12 under, forcing a playoff on the 18th hole, where it took two tries for a winner to emerge. It was Clarke, whose long chip from the fringe stopped just feet from the cup, giving him a relatively easy birdie putt that secured the win and $270,000 in prize money.

Clarke had similar approaches on the 18th hole in regulation and on the first playoff, and he didn’t execute either very well. When given a third chance, he didn’t miss.

“The second time around I thought, I know the speed now, the ball just went right,” Clarke said. “The third time around I was just that stubborn that I was gonna prove to myself that I could hit it the right distance and I did. In a playoff you never know what can happen. Anybody can make birdie. Luckily it was my day today.”

Clark shot a 5-under 65 on Sunday to pull even with Flesch and Choi. Choi entered the day at 11 under, two strokes up on Paul Stankowski and Alex Cejka, both of whom quickly played themselves out of contention.

That allowed Clarke and Flesch to make their moves, which they did steadily amid a fierce wind that at times made birdies difficult. Choi came out steady and conservative, starting the day with 12 straight pars before notching his first birdie on 13.

On the par-5 16th, Clarke unleashed a monstrous drive that set him up for the late push that pulled him even. Still, he needed help to eventually hoist the trophy.

After Choi settled for par on 16, Flesch headed to the 18th tee box with a one-stroke lead at 13 under. But his tee shot left him behind a tree, and rather than cut his losses and knock the ball back into the fairway, he tried to wrap his second shot around the tree. Instead, he smacked right into it, knocking his ball backward. He needed a strong finish to the hole just to get a bogey, which allowed Clarke and Choi to advance to the playoff.

In the first playoff Choi was the only one to hit the green in regulation, and had a 12-footer for a birdie and the win. He missed, so he and Clarke advanced to a second playoff hole while Flesch was eliminated.

The wind was a factor all day, with gusts of up to 40-mph, but Clarke was able to use that to his advantage, something the Minnehaha course adheres to anyway.

“I think if you drive it well here you can score well,” Clarke said. “And the driver is probably my favorite club in the bag. So today I drove the ball well. I hit it long and I hit it straight and when I do that I have a chance to contend.

“(The wind) was tough, it was tricky, but you saw good scores yesterday and you saw good scores today,” he added. “The course was eminently playable, but if you were slightly off with your ballstriking you could play a big penalty with that wind.”

Miguel Angel Jimenez, last year’s winner, finished strong with a 66 to end up tied for fourth at 10 under with Rod Pampling. U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker finished 9 under, followed by John Senden, Steven Alker, Retief Goosen and Cejka, who all finished at 8 under.

Clarke said in addressing the fans after the win that the Sanford International is one of the most well-attended and supported events on the entire Champions tour.

“The fans have been very good to me,” Clarke said. “I’ve really enjoyed my time in Sioux Falls. The fans have been brilliant. I’ve had a beverage with one or two of them in the past, so it’s been nice to be back out here.”

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K.J. Choi leads Sanford International by two; Shaun Micheel’s ace turns heads

K.J. Choi shot a 4-under 66 Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Sanford International.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – K.J. Choi shot a 4-under 66 Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the Sanford International.

Tied for the first-round lead with Darren Clarke after a 63, Choi had five birdies and bogey at Minnehaha Country Club to reach under 11. The 51-year-old South Korean player won eight times on the PGA Tour.

Paul Stankowski (63), Alex Cejka (64) and Rod Pampling (67) were second, and Steve Flesch (65) and Mario Itziani (67) were another stroke back.

Darren Clarke opened with a double bogey in a 70 that dropped him into a tie for seventh at 7 under with Retief Goosen (68), David McKenzie (65) and South Dakota native Tom Byrum (67).

John Daly is currently tied for 41st.

Due to expected high winds tomorrow, the final round will begin at 8:00 a.m. Gates will open at 7:00 a.m.

Hole-in-one warms up the day

The morning might have started off cool with golfers like Daly and Fred Couples wearing long-sleeve shirts. But by noon, long-sleeves had been taken off.

But for some more young viewers, like local superstar Little League Pitcher Gavin Wier, the day was exciting despite the brisk morning.

“We love to golf but we just don’t get to do it after baseball,” Wier’s father Ronnie said. The Wiers along with other members of the team were invited to the tournament. It was the Wiers’ first time attending.

As the day warmed up, excitement grew especially after a hole-in-one by Shaun Micheel on the 10th hole around noon.

Fans cheers and those who missed it were caught asking what happened.

“A hole-in-one but I don’t know who it was,” one excited woman told another walking down the path near the clubhouse.

Older viewers took the time to tell kids that they should admire the abundance of pro-golfers around them.

“You should be like these gentlemen when you grow up,” a grandfather told his grandson, who looked no older than 6, after Couples, Steve Stricker and Steve Flesch teed-offed at the 12th hole.

Stricker, U.S. Ryder Cup captain, was 7 under in his group. He’ll lead the United States against Europe next week at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin.

 

A math teacher quit his job to play golf, now he’s playing among legends like John Daly on the PGA Tour Champions

After quitting his job as a math teacher, Jay Jurecic tee’d it up among legends at the Sanford International

Jay Jurecic was relatively unknown outside his classroom a few months ago, but now he’s making a splash in the golfing world after quitting his 21-year teaching career at a Michigan middle school last month and taking his shot at his first-ever pro golf tournament.

Jurecic, 51, was teaching middle school math at West Iron County Public Schools in Iron County, Michigan, a town of 11,000, when he resigned on Aug. 7 to pursue his dream. His last day as a teacher was Aug. 22.

Just a few weeks later, he’s making his PGA Tour Champions debut after qualifying for the Sanford International with a 10-under 61 on Tuesday at Bakker Crossing Golf Course.

More: What you need to know about the 2021 Sanford International

He finished his first-ever pro tournament round with a 3-over 73 Friday, which was tied for 72nd. His round included one birdie and four bogeys.

Jurecic admitted he was nervous to start out the day, but his first shot was one of his best and helped set the tone for play.

“It was a great feeling and I had goosebumps,” he said. “And it was cool to walk down the fairway after a good shot like that.”

Jay Jurecic tees off on hole 10 during the first day of the Sanford International golf tournament on Friday, September 17, 2021, at the Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls. Erin Bormett / Argus Leader

Local Minnehaha Country Club member and Sioux Falls insurance agent Ryan Karst stepped in as his caddie for the week and has provided tips on the course. The two competed against each other in the Dakotas Tour and other tournaments in the past.

So far, Jurecic has played the course three times in as many days.

“I saw a guy with a lot of grit,” Karst said. “He grinded every hole, every shot. And, surprisingly, for his first tournament round, I thought the nerves were under control and he played well. Just a few putts didn’t go in. It could have been a whole different day, but he’ll get out there tomorrow and give it all he’s got.”

Jay Jurecic smiles at his brother and caddie, Jeff Jurecic, during the first day of the Sanford International golf tournament on Friday, September 17, 2021, at the Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls. Erin Bormett / Argus Leader

And Jurecic has plenty of support behind him for his debut.

His sister, niece, brother, cousin and a good golfing friend of his made the trip to support him. He said another niece is planning to drive over eight hours to watch him play this weekend. He’s also received texts of encouragement from former students.

“It’s great. I think it helps a lot to have people behind you,” he said. “I want to do the best I can and encourage other people to try their best. Probably the whole upper peninsula is behind me.”

Jurecic didn’t play high school or college golf. He would focus on golf in the summers while he wasn’t teaching and play mini-tour events, but he did take a leave of absence from 2003 to 2005 to golf full time, according to the PGA Tour. After his return to teaching, he continued to play. He even competed at Cattail Crossing Golf Course in Watertown for a Dakotas Tour event last year.

Jay Jurecic, lower left, walks down the fairway with the other members of his group during the first day of the Sanford International golf tournament on Friday, September 17, 2021, at the Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls. Erin Bormett / Argus Leader

In July, he won the Michigan Senior Open. He went 66-69 to win by one.

Now, Jurecic is looking forward to competing Saturday and the rest of the weekend. K.J. Choi and Darren Clark are tied for the lead at 7 under.

“I’ll be a little bit more comfortable tomorrow and a little better focused,” he said. “… I’m trying to enjoy it as it’s going — it’s going fast.”

Club members nearly killed a deal to bring back this week’s PGA Tour Champions event

After narrowly getting an extension, officials are hopeful PGA Tour Champions event can stay in South Dakota.

SIOUX FALLS, South Dakota — Miguel Angel Jimenez stood in the Minnehaha Country Club driving range Thursday morning, stretching with a club in his arms, a lit cigar dangling from his mouth. Just then a fan approached him and asked for a selfie. Jimenez nodded, leaned in and smiled toward the man’s phone, then went back to work as the man thanked the 2020 Sanford International champion and scurried away.

A short chip shot away, Bernhard Langer stood on a practice green and strained to squeeze his name onto a golf ball, fulfilling the autograph request of a fan who had nervously approached the two-time Masters champion.

Those little moments have made the Sanford International a success in Sioux Falls, and the PGA Tour Champions event returns this week for the fourth year of its original five-year contract. And thanks to a summer agreement that wasn’t exactly last-minute but was definitely taking long enough to make organizers nervous, there’s an extended future for the tournament in Sioux Falls, as a deal was struck with Minnehaha Country Club to keep it there through 2024.

A year ago when the tournament was getting underway, the COVID-19 pandemic was still canceling and limiting sporting events across the country, and the Sanford International went out of its way to advertise itself as the first major sporting event to allow fans. They pulled it off largely without incident, and the tournament was a rousing success, with Angel Jimenez memorably celebrating his victory with a cigar on the 18th green and a glass of wine at his post-round press conference.

Erin Bormett / Argus Leader

But behind the scenes there were rumblings that getting Minnehaha membership to agree to an extension was not the sure thing outsiders might expect.

While the tournament itself is essentially one week of events, its overall presence at the country club covers more than two months, in the height of golf season. After an initial breakdown in talks after the Minnehaha board of directors rejected an extension proposal, the two sides got back to the table this summer and struck a deal.

Now, as the fourth year of the event kicks off, there’s a strong sense of relief among tournament organizers.

Erin Bormett / Argus Leader

“I can remember pretty vividly sitting here in this exact spot a year ago and being asked what the future of the tournament looked like, and saying we had every intention of extending it,” said Sanford executive vice president Micah Aberson. “And then finishing that press conference and saying to (tournament director) Josh Brewster, ‘We should probably figure out how to get that done.’ It was a bit of an adventure to get there, but we’re extremely excited to extend it and very happy that it will be here at Minnehaha Country Club for at least (three more years after this).”

Sanford International: What you need to know about the 2021 event

After hearing the concerns of membership and taking steps to address them, the extension was reached.

“It was kind of a scary process, but I think at the end of the day the membership, the tournament and all the sponsors understood what was at stake for the community,” Brewster said, referring not just to the warm reception the Sanford International has received from local sports fans, but the philanthropic impact it has on the community.

Tournament made concessions to get more country club members on board

Of course, now it’s time to deliver, and win over the members who still weren’t in favor of keeping the event.

“We made a lot of promises,” Aberson said. “The membership met us in the middle, but then my gaze goes to Josh and his team and it’s time to execute on all that now. I’m proud of the work they’ve done. We want the membership to feel like this is their tournament, too. We want them to have pride in the Sanford International just like we have, and I feel like we’re making progress in that regard.”

Erin Bormett / Argus Leader

A membership tent is new this year, along the 17th green, and plans were reworked to get the village assembled faster and with less of an impact on the course. A new merchandise pavilion has been added to the 9th green, and concessions will be expanded around the course. Most of the other logistical changes, however, were behind the scenes.

“I think the players and fans won’t see too much (difference),” Brewster said. “A lot of it was on the front end, just in regards to the construction we do. We had to look internally to how do we do it quicker and make it less of a burden on membership.”

While the course always receives extra care for a televised PGA event, it looks objectively even better than usual this year, thanks in part to heavy rains a few weeks ago and recent sunshine. Ticket sales are up over 30 percent from last year.

“I’ve been coming here for 15 years and I don’t think I’ve ever seen the golf course in better shape than it is now,” said tournament host and two-time U.S. Open winner Andy North.

“The course looks very good, it’s great,” added Jimenez. “No complaints about that. I hope we have a beautiful weekend.”

North added that the field is also as good as it’s ever been. Big names like Ernie Els and Fred Couples are back after debuting last year, while Jim Furyk is here for the first time. Furyk is vice captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, serving under captain Steve Stricker, the winner of the inaugural Sanford International.

Erin Bormett / Argus Leader

That they’re both here the week before the Ryder Cup illustrates how this event has resonated with the tour pros. They don’t skip this one.

And they’re happy it’s staying in Sioux Falls.

“I had heard the rumblings of maybe not being here any longer,” Stricker said. “So I’m very excited to come back here and for the guys to come back here. I think it’s a great venue for us. It’s challenging – the greens are great, they’re tricky. And you got a good support system here. The people show up here to support the event. I was concerned when I heard that (the tournament may leave), so good news that it’ll be coming back here.”

Jim Furyk has advice for those who’ve hit 50: ‘It’s hard to move up’ to the whites tees, but do it.

Jim Furyk is at the Minnehaha Country Club, host of the fourth edition of the Sanford International.

The game is fun again, Jim Furyk admits.

Sure, there’s the camaraderie of playing against former buddies with who he used grind it out on the PGA Tour, but one of the reasons the 2003 U.S. Open champ has quickly taken to the PGA Tour Champions is the simple fact that he’s again become friendly with his short irons.

It’s a rekindling he hopes to continue this week as Minnehaha Country Club in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, hosts the fourth edition of the Sanford International. The event runs through Sunday and a field of 76 players from the 50-and-over tour will compete for a $1.8 million purse, with a winner’s share of $270,000.

“It’s one of the reasons why I really enjoy the Champions tour. Not the only reason, but I joke that I got to know my 4- and 5-iron really well playing the PGA Tour and kind of missed hitting the 8, 9 and wedge into par 4s,” Furyk said on Wednesday. “I get an opportunity now to attack a little bit more at times and get some shorter irons in my hand and make a few more birdies. It’s a lot of fun.”

But while Furyk was mandated by PGA Tour rules to play the world’s best courses at their very longest, he said it’s a mistake that common players make when enjoying the game in middle age.

“As amateurs get older, it’s very common that if they grew up playing the blue tees, they want to play the blue tees. It’s hard to move up to the whites,” Furyk said. “When they finally do, they go, ‘Wow, this is fun, why didn’t I do this earlier? I should have been doing this five years ago.

Jim Furyk
Jim Furyk plays his shot from the first tee during the final round of the U.S. Senior Open Championship at the Omaha Country Club on July 11, 2021, in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo: Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

“That’s kind of what coming out to the Champions tour, I’m back to kind of playing like I was maybe in my mid-30s on the PGA Tour and hitting a lot of those same clubs in.”

Of course, the game is more fun when you’re succeeding, and Furyk’s been doing plenty of that in recent months since moving to a more consistent Champions schedule. He’s posted top-10 finishes in seven of his last nine events, including a T-6 at last week’s Ascension Charity Classic in St. Louis and a victory at the U.S. Senior Open in July at Omaha Country Club.

“They are good golf we’re playing. It’s still challenging, but you can see by the scores that we shoot and the way the golf courses are set up. … last week I want to say 10 under won. That was a pretty high score for a winning score out here on the Champions Tour, so a good, hard test of golf,” he said. “Depending on the conditions and the wind this week and the severity of the greens, I can see the same thing if conditions are right.”

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