Photo courtesy of Norm Duve – American Century Championship
John Smoltz is in the lead after a 26-point second round for a total of 51 points. He’s looking for his first win in 11 tries at the American Century Championship.
Vinny Del Negro is in second after a 26-point second round for a total of 49 points. He is also looking for his first win in his 20th American Century Championship appearance.
EXPERIENCE + TRADITION:
Jack Wagner in the hunt with a two round total of 47. Wagner’s last win was 10 years ago in 2011; he also won in 2006. He was the oldest player to win at age 51 in 2011.
Annika Sorenstam is also near the top with a 23-point second round performance for a total of 46. One of the greatest women golfers in history, she has more than 90 world-wide wins. Her last win was in 2008. She would be the first woman to win the tournament.
Images of leaders: https://www.dropbox.com/ (Credit: Norm Duve – American Century Championship).
Will Charles Barkley finish in the top 70? (His quote available as indicated below)
NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley was rumored to have an improved golf game in the weeks leading up to the American Century Championship celebrity tournament.
It wasn’t all that apparent after Friday’s first round of the 32nd annual tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, but he improved on Saturday and now has a shot at winning $500,000.
Barkley, the fan favorite here who has finished among the bottom three out of roughly 80-90 celebrities in 17 straight ACCs, bet on himself to finish among the top 70 in the field of 88. He said he wagered $100,000 and got 5-to-1 odds, down significantly from when it opened at 17-to-1 at the Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill.
He opened with minus-16 points on Friday and was tied for 81st place. The tournament uses a modified Stableford scoring system, and players are encouraged to pick up their ball once they have a double bogey (minus-2 points). He had 10 double bogeys.
On Saturday, he had minus-5 points and moved up to 77th place, 7 points behind the pace. He had five pars (1 point) and five double bogeys.
“I played well today,” Barkley said after Saturday’s round, while sweat dripped off his nose. “I made a couple mistakes but I had a really good time playing with these guys (Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott and NBC meteorologist Dylan Dreyer).
“I wasn’t even thinking about the bet — just worried about getting tired walking four days in a row.” Barkley is famous for partying it up at Harrah’s on Saturday night of tournament week. “I’m just going to have fun and watch the (Conor) McGregor fight,” he said.