Striker, ranked sixth in the world, plays at PGA Championship in Minnesota

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In golf, the season’s final major begins today just a few miles west of the Wisconsin border.

The PGA Championship is being played at Hazeltine National in the Twin Cities’ suburb of Chaska.

Wisconsin will have three golfers in the tournament, all with afternoon tee times. Steve Stricker of Madison starts his first round at 1:35.

Pewaukee native Mark Wilson tees off at 1:45.

And Madison’s Jerry Kelly begins at 2:05.

Stricker is in the best stretch of his 16-year PGA career, having won two tournaments this season. He’s ranked sixth in the world, and he’s second in the Fed-Ex Cup standings.

But the Stricker, 42, has never won a major, and he says he been ready for a couple years.

Stricker has had eight Top 10 finishes in his last 16 events.

He’s hitting 65 percent of his fairways, about 20 points better than six years ago.

But Stricker is 115th on the tour in driving distance at nearly 286 yards. And that could hurt him at Hazeltine, which is the longest course ever for a major at 7,674 yards.

Tags: wi sports, steve striker, pga, championship, minnesota