Andy North joins the field of the 2021 American Family Insurance Championship By Brian Weis

Andy North joins the field of the 2021 American Family Insurance Championship

Madison's two-time U.S. Open champ to play under invitational sponsor's exemption

By Brian Weis

Andy North, two-time U.S. Open champion and Wisconsin golf legend and ambassador, will play in the 2021 American Family Insurance Championship. Tickets for the June 11-13 championship at University Ridge golf course go on sale tomorrow, May 11, at amfamchampionship.com.

North's addition will mark his sixth decade of professional golf, which started in 1972 following an All-American career at University of Florida and titles at the Western Amateur in 1971 and Wisconsin State Amateur in 1969.

"Words can't describe our excitement in having Andy join our field," said Nate Pokrass, tournament director. "He has served as a tournament ambassador and host of the celebrity group since the beginning in 2016. Now, to have him join the competition is a great honor for our event and for Wisconsin golf fans."

"It's going to be a fun week," North said at the championship's annual Media Day. "I'm really looking forward to competing again, and to have it happen in my hometown of Madison makes it even more special."

North will play under a sponsor's exemption as part of the championship's elevation to invitational status. The player eligibility enhancement, along with an increase in the total purse to $2.4 million, will help ensure the championship has one of the strongest fields on PGA TOUR Champions annually.

"I'm super-excited to see Andy playing in this year's championship," said Steve Stricker, player-host. "Andy was the person I looked up to as a junior golfer, and he's been there for Jerry Kelly (American Family Insurance Championship defending champion) and me our whole careers. I've always admired him for what he's stood for, not only for the game of golf but also as a family man and as a person."

North won his first U.S. Open in 1978 at Cherry Hills Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Colorado. Seven year later, he won the U.S. Open again at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. North's third PGA TOUR win was the 1978 Westchester Classic. He also played on the 1985 U.S. Ryder Cup Team.

North also holds six PGA TOUR Champions titles, all of them in the Legends of Golf event with partners Jim Colbert (2000-2001) and Tom Watson (2005-2008.)

An ESPN golf analyst since 1992, North is an avid University of Wisconsin sports fan, and at one time assisted the Badger football staff. He was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.

Tickets still available for purchase at amfamchampionship.com.

Revised: 05/11/2021 - Article Viewed 6,918 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the mastermind behind GolfTrips.com, a vast network of golf travel and directory sites covering everything from the rolling fairways of Wisconsin to the sunbaked desert layouts of Arizona. If there’s a golf destination worth visiting, chances are, Brian has written about it, played it, or at the very least, found a way to justify a "business trip" there.

As a card-carrying member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA), and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG), Brian has the credentials to prove that talking about golf is his full-time job. In 2016, his peers even handed him The Shaheen Cup, a prestigious award in golf travel writing—essentially the Masters green jacket for guys who don’t hit the range but still know where the best 19th holes are.

Brian’s love for golf goes way back. As a kid, he competed in junior and high school golf, only to realize that his dreams of a college golf scholarship had about the same odds as a 30-handicap making a hole-in-one. Instead, he took the more practical route—working on the West Bend Country Club grounds crew to fund his University of Wisconsin education. Little did he know that mowing greens and fixing divots would one day lead to a career writing about the best courses on the planet.

In 2004, Brian turned his golf passion into a business, launching GolfWisconsin.com. Three years later, he expanded his vision, and GolfTrips.com was born—a one-stop shop for golf travel junkies looking for their next tee time. Today, his empire spans all 50 states, and 20+ international destinations.

On the course, Brian is a weekend warrior who oscillates between a 5 and 9 handicap, depending on how much he's been traveling (or how generous he’s feeling with his scorecard). His signature move" A high, soft fade that his playing partners affectionately (or not-so-affectionately) call "The Weis Slice." But when he catches one clean, his 300+ yard drives remind everyone that while he may write about golf for a living, he can still send a ball into the next zip code with the best of them.

Whether he’s hunting down the best public courses, digging up hidden gems, or simply outdriving his buddies, Brian Weis is living proof that golf is more than a game—it’s a way of life.