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The American Century Championship is wherever celebrities spell to duke it retired connected nan golf course.
The Edgewood Golf Course successful Lake Tahoe is wherever nan biggest show successful personage play will return place. The tourney originates connected July 10 and runs done July 12.
The American Century Championship uses a Modified Stableford scoring strategy alternatively than accepted changeable play, which intends that alternatively of counting full strokes, players are alternatively awarded points based connected their people for each hole.
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Joe Pavelski celebrates pinch nan trophy aft nan last information of nan American Century Championship astatine Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course successful Stateline, Nevada, connected July 13, 2025. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
An albatross is worthy 10 points, a hole-in-one is worthy 8 points, an eagle is worthy six points, a birdie is worthy 3 points, a par is worthy 1 point, a bogey is worthy thing and thing 2 complete par aliases worse is worthy minus 2 points.
Last year, erstwhile NHL prima Joe Pavelski won pinch 73 points. World Series champion John Smoltz vanished 2nd pinch 64 points, state vocalist Jake Owen came successful 3rd pinch 62 points, erstwhile USMNT shot prima Taylor Twellman came successful 4th pinch 61 points, while Golden State Warriors fable Steph Curry came successful 5th pinch 58 points.
Smoltz told Fox News Digital successful a caller question and reply that he has not started accelerated capable successful nan first round, forcing him to play catch-up.
"I get disconnected to a slow start. Every tourney I rally 2nd and 3rd information pinch excessively large of a hole. I make a ton of pars. It's truthful frustrating to opportunity that I make a ton of pars. That would beryllium usually good, but it's not successful this tournament. I deliberation astatine 1 constituent I made 29 pars successful a statement successful 1 tourney and it was nauseating. It was for illustration I'd alternatively wound nan caput of my putter disconnected because you only get 1 constituent for a par," Smoltz told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview.
Smoltz attributed his slow starts to a blimpish mindset and stressed nan value of making birdie putts.
"You get 3 times nan worth for a birdie. So, for illustration past year, I deliberation I made 7 aliases 8 birdies nan past information to decorativeness second. Couldn't pursuit down Pavelski, but I'm like, wherever has that been? Where's those birdies successful nan first round?" Smoltz said.
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Annika Sorenstam looks connected from nan seventh greenish during nan first information of nan 2026 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions astatine Lake Nona Golf & Country Club successful Orlando, Florida, connected Jan. 29, 2026. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
LPGA fable Annika Sorenstam echoed Smoltz’s sentiment astir needing to beryllium fierce because of nan scoring system.
"I would emotion to bring it home. I person not been capable to do that, I support trying each year. Keep knocking connected successful nan door. I want to get nan guys 1 time. I mean it evidently I person to play good each 3 rounds. I deliberation I request to beryllium a small much fierce because it's Stableford arsenic you know," Sorenstam told Fox News Digital.
"Different format than I'm utilized to. I mean, arsenic acold arsenic you know, my master career, we played changeable play for 4 days. Consistency was really nan key. Now it's astir getting points and you get points by being much fierce here. It rewards birdies and Eagles. I deliberation I sewage to really effort to beryllium a small spot much aggressive, which is possibly not my quality erstwhile it comes to golf."
Smoltz, Sorenstam, Owen, Pavelski, Curry, erstwhile NFL prima Adam Thielen, and Los Angeles Lakers prima Austin Reaves are among nan favorites. While nan play is surely a awesome tie from immoderate of nan celebrities, galore praised nan ambiance nan tourney has.
"I deliberation American Century does a awesome occupation of getting bully group to travel retired location and beryllium a portion of nan tourney and it's a batch of bully play too," Minnesota Twins fable Joe Mauer told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview.
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Sports broadcaster Jay Bilas plays play during nan first believe information astatine nan ACC Celebrity Golf Championship 2025 astatine Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course successful Stateline, Nev., connected July 9, 2025. (David Calvert/Getty Images for American Century Investments)
"They make you consciousness for illustration you're connected nan circuit for 1 week."
This will beryllium nan 37th American Century Championship, and Super Bowl champion Joe Theismann has played successful 36 of them. He said he utilized to beryllium a 2-handicap, but is now a nine, arsenic he doesn’t deed nan shot arsenic far.
He called nan arena a can’t-miss event, not conscionable because of nan golf, but because of each nan group you get to meet.
"The American Century Championship has evolved to 1 of those things that if you emotion golf astatine each and you hap to beryllium successful that quote-unquote personage world, it's nan point you really want to participate in. You get to measurement your game. You get to propulsion backmost nan curtain connected truthful galore awesome group and you get to spot those that you watch connected TV because I'm a instrumentality of everything. But now you get a chance to spot them up adjacent and individual and you get a chance to meet them and get to cognize them and it's exciting," Theismann told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview.
The 76-year-old said he gets to sojourn group connected nan range. He mentioned Jerry Rice, Tony Romo, and Miles Teller arsenic group he has had conversations with, calling himself a ‘fanboy’ of Teller’s.
Theismann said "Top Gun: Maverick" is his favourite movie of each time.
ESPN broadcaster Jay Bilas said he was invited six aliases 7 years agone and called it nan balanced of a PGA Tour subordinate being invited to nan Masters.
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Joe Mauer putts during nan American Century Championship astatine Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course successful Stateline, Nevada, Friday, July 12, 2019. (Tom R. Smedes, Tom R. Smedes via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
"When I sewage invited six, 7 years agone and I was thrilled. I conscionable couldn't judge I would get to do it. And they've been they must person a very debased bar, but they've invited maine backmost ever since. And to me, getting that invitation has sewage to beryllium nan balanced of a PGA circuit subordinate getting invited to nan Masters. So, you get nan invitation, you're like, "Oh, my God, I can't judge they invited maine backmost again." And it's an automatic yes," Bilas told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview.
"It's conscionable a thrill. And it's arsenic thrilling erstwhile you're location origin it's a beautiful mounting successful Lake Tahoe astatine nan Edgewood Resort. The weather's ever spectacular. Seventy 1000 group are location successful shorts and sundresses and conscionable enjoying seeing immoderate of their favourite celebs."
Bilas said he loves competing successful nan tournament, but called nan ambiance what makes it special. He credited CEO Jonathan Thomas for being truthful welcoming and creating a family situation that everyone loves.
NFL awesome Patrick Peterson said nan arena has evolved complete nan years and said it’s thing that his full family enjoys.
"My girls look guardant to going to Lake Tahoe each and each twelvemonth to not only locomotion pinch dad, but to spell retired connected nan lake," Peterson told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview. "Go connected apical nan upland and doing nan zipline and things for illustration that. So, nan memories that they're capable to create for nan families that are progressive are countless."
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John Smoltz hits a changeable during nan ACC Golf Tournament astatine Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course successful South Lake Tahoe connected Saturday. (Tom R. Smedes/Special to RGJ via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
NFL fable Jerome Bettis said nan American Century Championship gives him a locker room vibe he doesn’t get anymore.
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"I deliberation nan favourite portion is really getting to chop it up pinch nan athletes because, obviously, being retired, you don't get nan chance to do that anymore. And, so, erstwhile you do get a chance to benignant of rib guys and person nosy pinch guys for illustration that locker room acquisition again, it's really nosy and exhilarating," Bettis said.
The tourney has raised much than $8 cardinal for location and nationalist charities. American Century Investments donates 40% of its profits to nan Stowers Institute for Medical Research and activates fundraising astatine nan tourney to thrust nonstop donations to Stowers each year.
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Ryan Canfield is simply a integer accumulation adjunct for Fox News Digital.
