The 2025 American Family Insurance Championship, popularly known as the AmFam Championship, begins on Friday, June 6, at TPC Wisconsin, and it will be the first time the venue will host this event. The tournament, which is usually played at the University Ridge Golf course, has raised nearly $20 million for charities since its inception in 2016. But the venue change is not the only new addition this year. The tournament will mark a significant evolution on the PGA Tour Champions with an exciting new format played over 54 holes.
The new format in play at the 2025 AmFam Championship
The tournament will feature a new team format this year, with one day of scramble play among the three days of competition, the first time to be included in a Champions event. “With this tournament moving to a new course in 2025, it’s an ideal time to try a new format as well,” said host Steve Stricker, a past winner of the tournament, who also co-designed the TPC Wisconsin. He added that the new format will add “a level of intrigue and competition to the game,” and also provide a unique experience for golf fans, similar to the Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup.
The field of 76 players will see the likes of defending champion Ernie Els, Jerry Kelly, Miguel Angel Jiménez, alongside Steve Stricker and others, to form 38 teams of 2 players. The top 38 players, from the PGA Tour Champions eligibility rankings, will have the privilege of choosing their partners for the $3 million purse. The first and third days will be the “best ball” format, where every player will play their ball throughout the round and keep score, but after each hole, the player with the lowest score on that hole, known as best ball, will be the respective team’s score.
The second day will see the team scramble format, where every shot is taken by the players of a team from the same location, starting from the tees, and continues until the hole is completed and a single score is recorded. The probability of better scores in this format is higher because each shot is being played from the same spot by two players. So, either one of them could produce a better result than the other.
While this is the first time the senior tour will see a format different from its usual strokeplay, it can be understood that Stricker drew inspiration from the Zurich Classic of New Orleans tournament, which Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry won in 2024. The Zurich Classic has a similar format over four days, where the first & third rounds are usually played in a four-ball format, and the second & fourth rounds are foursomes. While four-ball is a format similar to the best ball play, foursomes is where every team has players alternating their shots, with the total team score recorded for that hole.
But unlike the Zurich Classic, the AmFam Championship does not have a cut and will see all 38 teams moving into the final round on Sunday. Let’s take a look at some important names to watch out for at the tournament.
Key players to watch out for
The tournament will see Tom Pernice Jr partner up with Vijay Singh, who is a three-time major champion on the PGA Tour. Having won the Masters and the PGA Championship nearly two decades ago, Singh is also known for going head-on with Tiger Woods during his peak years. With a total of 66 wins in his professional career, including 34 on the PGA Tour, he will bring his experience and skill into play this weekend. We will also be lucky to see former world No. 1 Fred Couples, who also won the 1992 Masters, partner with Jay Haas, who has had 18 PGA Tour Champions wins.
John Daly, who has been struggling with his health for a couple of years now, is seeking a win since the 2017 Insperity Invitational. Partnered with Michael Allen for the event, the duo can only hope to avoid big numbers on the course. Defending champion Ernie Els chose Tim Herron to be on his side, who has been a four-time winner on the PGA Tour. While some of these pairings might be quite strong, there’s one team to specifically watch out for — Stricker’s.
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