Freddie Jacobson of Sweden and Soren Kjeldsen of Denmark teamed up for a 12-under-par 59 to set the pace at the American Family Insurance Championship, the PGA Tour Champions’ only team event, on Friday in Madison, Wis.
Jacobson and Kjeldsen lead by a single stroke over two teams, Brian Gay and Slovakia’s Rory Sabbatini and Australians Richard Green and Mark Hensby. Germany’s Bernhard Langer and New Zealand’s Steven Alker made a push late in the day and finished at 10-under 61, tied with Aussies Cameron Percy and Greg Chalmers.
The three-day event at TPC Wisconsin introduced the team format last year. The first and final rounds will be four ball (best ball), while Saturday’s second round will be a scramble.
The Nordic leaders got off to a fast start when Kjeldsen converted an eagle at the par-5 second hole. They went on to card 10 birdies, Jacobson responsible for six of them.
“We sort of alternated nicely, like one guy made a putt and then the next guy, and Freddie was sort of on fire middle of the round,” Kjeldsen said. “Yeah, we built up that momentum that you really need in this format.”
Kjeldsen tied for second at this event last year with a different playing partner, Alex Cejka of Germany.
Sabbatini, who turned 50 in April, is looking for his first win on the PGA Tour Champions. He and Gay previously played together at the PGA Tour’s Zurich Classic of New Orleans and finished third in that team event in 2019.
They started on the back nine, where Gay converted seven birdies by himself for a nine-hole score of 28.
“Brian was obviously, as they say in Vegas, he was on a heater, so I stayed out of his way and let Seabiscuit run, and he did,” Sabbatini said. “He fired 28 on the back nine, which was our front, by himself. I just sat there and watched. It was kind of fun for me.”
Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland won the tournament last year playing with Denmark’s Thomas Bjorn. Bjorn wasn’t available this year, so Clarke teamed up with Ben Crane. They opened with a 9-under 62 and are tied for sixth.
The team of Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson — who’ve combined for five wins on tour this year — settled for a 6-under 65 to open.
