Celebrity lineup shines bright at Lake Tahoe, July 6-10
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, on the California/Nevada border – Three of the most dynamic players in the National Football League, superstars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills will join an elite field of sports and entertainment luminaries at the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe, July 6-10.
The trio will complement one of the strongest player lineups in the 33-year history of celebrity golf’s pre-eminent tournament at one of the country’s most spectacular destinations. The three NFL All-Pros will join Justin Timberlake, Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers, Annika Sorenstam, Charles Barkley and first-time participants Colin Jost of Saturday Night Live, WWE Superstar The Miz, and Jake Owen, country music singer/songwriter.
The lineup represents 13 Hall of Famers, 17 Most Valuable Player Awards, and multiple Cy Young Award winners. With Timberlake, Ray Romano, Anthony Anderson,and other entertainment celebrities, the field also boasts multiple Emmy, Grammy, and other awards.
The American Century Championship will be televised nationally on NBC.
Tickets are now available online only in advance at: www.AmericanCenturyChampionship.com with daily tickets for Wednesday’s practice round and Thursday’s Celebrity-Amateur at $30, and tournament rounds Friday, Saturday and Sunday at $40 per day. A Grounds Pass for all five days is just $90, a 50% savings.
Success has come early and often to Mahomes as he led the Chiefs to victory in Super Bowl LIV and was named the game’s MVP following the 2019 season, his second as a starting quarterback. He was voted league MVP in 2018 and returned to the Super Bowl in 2020. He waged one of history’s greatest battles during last year’s playoff against Josh Allen, who has led the Buffalo Bills’ return to prominence. Travis Kelce is a three-time Pro-Bowl tight end for the Chiefs and a favorite target of Mahomes.
For Mahomes and Allen, Tahoe will offer a “rematch” of sorts against Aaron Rodgers with whom they’ll be competing during The Match, June 1, a charity golf competition airing live on TNT. Rodgers, teaming with Tom Brady, another senior QB statesman, has been good-naturedly baiting the two younger QBs, referencing the Tahoe competition and questioning their ability to break 80 with smack talk comparing their talent level to that of Charles Barkley.
The American Century Championship in scenic Lake Tahoe features a purse of $600,000 with $125,000 to the winner. Charity fundraising has produced over $5.5 million for non-profits over the years. The tournament is played over lakefront Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, a George Fazio design, with re-design elements from Tom Fazio. It is rated by Golf Digest Magazine as one of “America’s Top 100 Golf Courses.”
Vinny Del Negro will defend his 2021 title against top celebrity contenders including Annika Sorenstam, one of the greatest professional players in history with 72 LPGA Tour wins and eight Player of the Year Awards; Tony Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, current CBS NFL analyst, and two-time winner of the ACC; Mark Mulder, three-time ACC champion and former MLB pitcher; Mardy Fish, 2020 tournament champion, former tennis star and current captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team; and John Smoltz, MLB Hall of Fame pitcher, 2018 U.S. Senior Open qualifier and Fox MLB analyst.
A contingent of 30 NFL stars are in the field together with current quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, 2021 NFL MVP; and Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders. Active players also feature Robbie Gould, 49ers; Adam Thielen, Harrison Smith and Patrick Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings.
Hall of Famers feature Michael Strahan, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Tim Brown, Jerome Bettis, Terrell Davis, Brian Urlacher, and Charles Woodson; as well as former All-Pros Larry Fitzgerald, DeMarcus Ware, Kyle Williams, and Jim McMahon. Current coaches include Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans, and Herm Edwards, Arizona State.
NBA representation includes Hall of Famers Ray Allen and local favorite Charles Barkley; defending champ Vinny Del Negro; current Miami Heat star Kyle Lowery and Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso, making his tournament debut; and Vince Carter, eight-time All-Star and current ESPN analyst.
Including Annika, women in the field feature Dylan Dreyer, meteorologist for NBC News and The Today Show; Kathryn Tappen, NBC Sports anchor and on-air personality; and Kira K. Dixon, GOLF Channel reporter and 2015 Miss America.
The lineup of entertainers, actors and comedians feature Jost, Miles Teller, Anthony Anderson, Alfonso Ribeiro, Michael Pena, Ray Romano, Rob Riggle, Brian Baumgartner, John O’Hurley, Larry the Cable Guy, Jay DeMarcus, formerly of Rascal Flatts, Jason Scheff, former singer and bassist for Chicago, and Jack Wagner, two-time champion and one of two originals along with Jim McMahon to have played in all 32 American Century Championships.
Major League Baseball players showcase Smoltz, teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, CC Sabathia, Joe Maurer, Jimmy Rollins, Kevin Millar, Shane Victorino, Tim Wakefield, David Wells, and first timers Jon Lester and Jayson Werth.
The 54-hole competition will test the golf skills of more than 80 players. Additions to the field will be announced leading up to the championship in July.
The 2022 American Century Championship will utilize the Modified Stableford format whereby points are awarded by score per hole.
American Century Investments, the title sponsor of the championship since 1998, continues its role in partnership with NBC Sports, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course and the South Tahoe community.
For tournament information: www.AmericanCenturyChampionship.com.
