American Century Championship brings celebrities to the golf course for a star-studded tournament

The American Century Championship is wherever celebrities spell to duke it retired connected the play course.

The Edgewood Golf Course successful Lake Tahoe is wherever the biggest amusement successful personage play volition instrumentality place. The tourney begins connected July 10 and runs done July 12.

The American Century Championship uses a Modified Stableford scoring strategy alternatively than accepted changeable play, which means 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 with the trophy aft the last circular of the 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 implicit par oregon worse is worthy minus 2 points.

Last year, erstwhile NHL prima Joe Pavelski won with 73 points. World Series champion John Smoltz finished 2nd with 64 points, state vocalist Jake Owen came successful 3rd with 62 points, erstwhile USMNT shot prima Taylor Twellman came successful 4th with 61 points, portion Golden State Warriors fable Steph Curry came successful 5th with 58 points.

Smoltz told Fox News Digital successful a caller interrogation that helium has not started accelerated capable successful the archetypal round, forcing him to play catch-up.

"I get disconnected to a dilatory start. Every tourney I rally 2nd and 3rd circular with excessively large of a hole. I marque a ton of pars. It's truthful frustrating to accidental that I marque 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 enactment successful 1 tourney and it was nauseating. It was similar I'd alternatively wound the caput of my putter disconnected due to the fact that you lone get 1 constituent for a par," Smoltz told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview.

Smoltz attributed his dilatory starts to a blimpish mindset and stressed the value of making birdie putts.

"You get 3 times the worth for a birdie. So, similar past year, I deliberation I made 7 oregon 8 birdies the past circular to decorativeness second. Couldn't pursuit down Pavelski, but I'm like, wherever has that been? Where's those birdies successful the archetypal round?" Smoltz said.

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Annika Sorenstam looks connected from the seventh greenish during the archetypal circular of the 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 assertive due to the fact that of the scoring system.

"I would emotion to bring it home. I person not been capable to bash that, I support trying each year. Keep knocking connected successful the door. I privation to get the guys 1 time. I mean it evidently I person to play good each 3 rounds. I deliberation I request to beryllium a small much assertive due to the fact that 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 nonrecreational career, we played changeable play for 4 days. Consistency was truly the key. Now it's astir getting points and you get points by being much assertive here. It rewards birdies and Eagles. I deliberation I got to truly 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 the favorites. While the play is surely a large gully from immoderate of the celebrities, galore praised the ambiance the tourney has.

"I deliberation American Century does a large occupation of getting bully radical to travel retired determination and beryllium a portion of the 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 the archetypal signifier circular astatine the 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 marque you consciousness similar you're connected the circuit for 1 week."

This volition beryllium the 37th American Century Championship, and Super Bowl champion Joe Theismann has played successful 36 of them. He said helium utilized to beryllium a 2-handicap, but is present a nine, arsenic helium doesn’t deed the shot arsenic far.

He called the lawsuit a can’t-miss event, not conscionable due to the fact that of the golf, but due to the fact that of each the radical you get to meet.

"The American Century Championship has evolved to 1 of those things that if you emotion play astatine each and you hap to beryllium successful that quote-unquote personage world, it's the happening you truly privation to enactment in. You get to measurement your game. You get to propulsion backmost the curtain connected truthful galore fantastic radical and you get to spot those that you ticker connected TV due to the fact that I'm a instrumentality of everything. But present you get a accidental to spot them up adjacent and idiosyncratic and you get a accidental to conscionable them and get to cognize them and it's exciting," Theismann told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview.

The 76-year-old said helium gets to sojourn radical connected the range. He mentioned Jerry Rice, Tony Romo, and Miles Teller arsenic radical helium 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 helium was invited six oregon 7 years agone and called it the equivalent of a PGA Tour subordinate being invited to the Masters.

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Joe Mauer putts during the 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 got invited six, 7 years agone and I was thrilled. I conscionable couldn't judge I would get to bash it. And they've been they indispensable person a precise debased bar, but they've invited maine backmost ever since. And to me, getting that invitation has got to beryllium the equivalent of a PGA circuit subordinate getting invited to the Masters. So, you get the 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 determination origin it's a beauteous mounting successful Lake Tahoe astatine the Edgewood Resort. The weather's ever spectacular. Seventy 1000 radical are determination successful shorts and sundresses and conscionable enjoying seeing immoderate of their favourite celebs."

Bilas said helium loves competing successful the tournament, but called the ambiance what makes it special. He credited CEO Jonathan Thomas for being truthful welcoming and creating a household situation that everyone loves.

NFL large Patrick Peterson said the lawsuit has evolved implicit the years and said it’s thing that his full household enjoys.

"My girls look guardant to going to Lake Tahoe each and each twelvemonth to not lone locomotion with dad, but to spell retired connected the lake," Peterson told Fox News Digital successful a caller interview. "Go connected apical the upland and doing the zipline and things similar that. So, the memories that they're capable to make for the families that are progressive are countless."

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John Smoltz hits a changeable during the 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 the American Century Championship gives him a locker country vibe helium doesn’t get anymore.

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"I deliberation the favourite portion is truly getting to chop it up with the athletes because, obviously, being retired, you don't get the accidental to bash that anymore. And, so, erstwhile you bash get a accidental to benignant of rib guys and person amusive with guys similar that locker country acquisition again, it's truly amusive and exhilarating," Bettis said.

The tourney has raised much than $8 cardinal for determination and nationalist charities. American Century Investments donates 40% of its profits to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and activates fundraising astatine the tourney to thrust nonstop donations to Stowers each year.

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