TPC Wisconsin Secures Contracts for Women’s Pro Golf Event This Summer
TPC Wisconsin has finalized agreements to host the 54-hole Wisconsin Women’s Championship, an Annika Women’s All Pro Tour event, from July 29-31. This gathering follows closely after the American Family Insurance Championship departs the same venue in early June. The arrangement brings additional professional women’s competition to Madison, emphasizing community access and charitable contributions.
Pathway for Emerging Professionals
The Annika Women’s All Pro Tour, launched in 2019 through collaboration with the LPGA and Epson Tour, serves as a structured development circuit. It delivers exemptions to Epson Tour events, points for Rolex Rankings, and access to LPGA qualifying stages, creating a clear progression route for participants. Graduates such as Grace Kim and Alexa Pano have advanced to LPGA victories, while local entrant Bobbi Stricker, daughter of PGA Tour Champions participant Steve Stricker, has competed in 19 tour stops.
Grassroots Access and Community Focus
Tournament director Dave Olesczuk describes the event as fundamentally community-oriented, with free spectator admission and no barriers separating fans from the action. Attendees may follow proceedings at a respectful distance, fostering direct engagement. Limited hospitality appears only between the 16th tee and 18th green, provided by a local partner, in contrast to more elaborate setups at other gatherings. Olesczuk anticipates strong local support from Destination Madison, Downtown Madison, and TPC Wisconsin members, viewing it as an enhancement to the region’s golf landscape without overlapping the prior June event.
Charitable Impact and Strong Interest
Surplus proceeds will support the Golf Foundation of Wisconsin, ensuring TPC Wisconsin gains no financial benefit. Already, 75 women have registered, with organizers projecting a full field of 144. A pro-am precedes the main competition on July 28, broadening participation opportunities.
Broader Golf Developments in Wisconsin
Hunter Eichhorn, a former Marquette University golfer from Carney, Michigan, continues to impress on the Korn Ferry Tour with a T-9 finish at the Visa Argentina Open, his third top-10 in five outings, elevating him to 11th on the points list. The United States Golf Association has renamed its U.S. Amateur medal and U.S. Junior Amateur trophy to honor Tiger Woods, recognizing his unmatched run of three consecutive titles in each from 1991-1996. Madison resident Andy North secured a second three-year term on the USGA Executive Committee. Registration is open for First Tee–Southeast Wisconsin programs at four courses, and a 2017 U.S. Open ticket from Erin Hills lists at $19.99 on eBay.
