Stricker marks PGA funding to expand UW-Madison golf instruction

Professional golfer Steve Stricker is giving a boost to student golf instruction at the University of Wisconsin–Madison by designating the university to receive $45,000 through the 2008 Ryder Cup Outreach Program. Stricker, an Edgerton native, was a member of last year’s victorious U.S. Ryder Cup Team.

The funds, distributed through the Play Golf America University Program, will enable the Physical Education Activity Program in the Department of Kinesiology and the Division of Recreational Sports to expand golf programs at UW–Madison.

This includes adding eight more sections of the golf activity course over the next two years, led by two instructors certified by the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) of America.

“The additional sections will significantly help the P.E. Activity Program match student demand for the course and will provide high-quality instruction to enrich the student golf experience,” says Ronnie Carda, the program coordinator.

The funding also will help support the Division of Recreational Sports’ fifth annual “Scramble 2 Vegas” golf tournament this year.

The tournament serves as a local qualifier for the National Collegiate Golf Championship, held in Las Vegas in November, according to Nick Lumpkin, the intramural and club sport coordinator for Recreational Sports. The top three student, faculty/staff and alumni division teams qualify for the national tournament, with the top student team receiving a Las Vegas Championship package to help fund their trip.

Through the 2008 Ryder Cup Outreach Program, Stricker and other members of the U.S. Ryder Cup Team selected universities and colleges to receive Play Golf America University funding from the PGA of America.

Play Golf America is a player-development program designed to teach and engage college students through PGA professional instruction and other golf programs. Since its inception in 1999, the program has given $13 million on behalf of the Ryder Cup Team members and captains.

Stricker, playing for the first time on the U.S. Ryder Cup Team, selected UW–Madison as one of the institutions to receive support. Bill Ehn, of the PGA’s Wisconsin section, presented the award to UW–Madison on Stricker’s behalf.