Sports

Steph Curry Hits a Buzzer Beating Putt for an Eagle to Win the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship

LAKE TAHOE, NV – With most of the country suffering under 100-plus-degree temperatures, more than eighty professional athletes and celebrities basked in the 78-degree perfect weather in the Sierra Nevada’s’ Lake Tahoe for the thirty-fourth annual American Century Golf Championship. The 54-hole competition and a purse of $600,000 is the most prestigious celebrity tournament in golf. This event regularly attracts some of the biggest professional sports and entertainment names.

Defending champion Tony Romo was the betting favorite to win the American Century Championship. However, Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry dominated the field since Friday to win his first American Century championship trophy on the 18^th hole Sunday afternoon. Curry, who had been leading the tournament all weekend, fell behind on the back nine Sunday to former tennis great Mardy Fish. But thanks to a rowdy fan who spooked Fish by screaming during his 18^th hole tee shot, causing Fish to hit the trees, Curry would Eagle the last hole and secure the championship.

The 2023 televised event teed off Friday at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course on the shores of the largest alpine lake in North America. With an attendance of over 64,000 fans, the tournament has raised over $6 million for national and local charities, including the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. The tournament has a $30 million impact on the local economy for the Lake Tahoe area and last year donated over $125 thousand to local charities.

“Besides it being our largest special event of the summer, this tournament represents a special bond, trust, and friendship among the various partners: NBC, American Century, the LTVA, Edgewood, our resorts and the local community,” said Carol Chaplin, President, and CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. “It’s impactful as far as creating awareness, generating overnight stays, and helping our economy, as well as its benefit to local charitable initiatives. And it accurately reflects our brand of ‘Awe and then Some.’”

Among the other prominent names in the 2023 celebrity field were Steph’s brother and father, Seth and Dell Curry, brothers Derek and David Carr, along with Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Charles Barkley, Jerry Rice, Annika Sorenstam, Larry the Cable Guy, Larry Fitzgerald, Travis Kelce, Miles Teller, and more than 16 Hall of Famers, five Heisman Trophy winners and three NFL coaches.

A fan favorite TNT NBA analyst Charles Barkley, arguably the most popular player in the tournament yearly but has never scored among the top 70 players in the tournament, is a super long shot at 7,500-1 according to the Caesars Sportsbook. The casino has a range of annual proposition bets for the tournament, including Barkley to finish 70th or better. Barkley finished 81^st with a score of -32

The 2023 American Century Championship utilized the Modified Stableford format with points awarded per hole as follows: Double Eagle – 10; Ace – 8; Eagle – 6; Birdie – 3; Par – 1; Bogey – 0; Double Bogey – (-2).

David and Derek Carr