sports - july 2008

Brewers home for 17 games in July

THE MILWAUKEE BREWERS are at home for 17 games this month, including a four-game series against the division rival Chicago Cubs.

Miller Park, just minutes west of downtown Milwaukee with a retractable dome that guarantees that all games are played. Home-game attendance through June has surpassed 1 million and is well on its way toward beating the 2.8 million mark set in 2007.

For tickets and team updates, visit www.brewers.com.

U.S. Bank Championship only PGA stop
this year in Wisconsin, Chicago area

THE U.S. Bank Championship July 14-20 at Brown Deer Golf Course is in the enviable position this year as the only stop on the PGA tour in either Wisconsin or the Chicago area.

The good fortune, which results from the rotation of Chicago’s PGA event to St. Louis, has led management of the Milwaukee tournament to make their event more of a destination event for families of golf enthusiasts and those who have never been to a professional tournament before.

Like all professional golf tournaments, the U.S. Bank Championship hosts numerous activities involving corporate sponsors. But this year a special event called “The Evening Round” has been added and it is open all tournament attendees on Saturday, July 19.

“The Evening Round” in the Corporate Village section of the grounds following Saturday’s play will offer tournament visitors live music, wine and beer tastings and spa services, including chair massages and light therapy. In addition, paintings by three local artists will be raffled off for charity.

For those who purchasing tickets through more than 30 charities selling them in the Milwaukee area, a special covered seating section has been set aside by the 16th green. And, in another audience broadening move, a Champion’s Club Ticket has been added, providing individuals special seating, food and beverages at three locations on the course, including the 18th green.

One of the only PGA tournmanents played on a public course, the U.S. Bank Championship has a long and distinguished history and was the first professional tournament played by Tiger Woods.

Among the pros signed to play this year are last year’s champion Joe Ogilvie and prevous winners Kenny Perry and Carlos Franco.

Wisconsin pros J.P. Hayes, Mark Wilson and Skip Kendall will compete, along with Chris Di Marco, J.J. Henry, Vaughn Taylor and Brett Wetterich, four members of the 2006 U.S. Ryder Cup team. DeMarco also was runner-up to Woods in the 2006 British Open.

For tickets and additional information on activities, visit www.usbankchampionship.com

Cycling classic races set for July 17-27

SOME of the best amateur and professional cyclists will be in Wisconsin July 17-27 for the 40th annual International Cycling Classic, also known as “Superweek.”

The sprint and road-racing classic is the largest, multi-category cycling event in the U.S. and begins with races in Illinois before coming to Wisconsin for the Shorewood Criterium along Oakland Avenue in Shorewood on July 17. Men’s and women’s professional and amateur races in Shorewood will start at 4 p.m. Racing earlier that day will take place in Humboldt Park on Milwaukee’s south side.

On July 19, the action shifts to downtown Waukesha where the action is scheduled from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. And on July 22, the Cedarburg Cycling Classic races down the city’s main street of Washington Avenue at 5:45 p.m.

The cyclists are in Racine July 24 and Kenosha July 25, before returning to Milwaukee July 26 for the Great Downer Avenue Bike Race on the city’s northeast side and in Whitefish Bay along Silver Spring Drive on July 27.

Road racing is scheduled for July 18 in Ripon, Wisconsin; July 21 in the Holy Hill area north of Milwaukee (starting and finishing at Pike Lake State Park} and July 23 at Whitnall Park and the Boerner Botanical Gardens in Hales Corners in southwest Milwaukee County.

For additional information on all the events and more and specific routes, visitt the Classic/Superweek Web site at www.internationalcycling.com.