Photo credit: American Century Championships
Charles Barkley, the prominent NBA TV analyst and media personality, will try to reward sports wagering supporters with a Top 75 finish when he tees it up at the 35th annual American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.
The competitive goal of Top 75 has been established by Caesars Sportsbook of Las Vegas, which posts legal sports wagering odds-to-win and proposition bets every year for the popular, nationally-televised event featuring 90 star pro athletes, entertainers and media personalities in a PGA TOUR-style competition. (www.americancenturychampionship.com).
For each of the last three years, the Caesars Sportsbook proposition had Barkley pursuing a top 70 finish, but he has yet to accomplish that so far, leading to the market adjustment.
This year, the official proposition bet sets up as follows: American Century Championship Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course July 12-14, 2024.
TOP 75 FINISH: CHARLES BARKLEY
Yes (Under 75.5) +125
No (Over 75.5) -155
Bettors who believe that the good-natured, TNT sports personality can rise to the occasion and finish in the Top 75 will win $125 for each $100 wagered on the “Yes” proposition.
Those convinced that the former NBA Most Valuable Player will fail to place in the Top 75 would be “No” and will risk $155 to win $100. Caesars Sportsbook has offered the proposition at Top 70 each of the past three years and Barkley finished 76th in 2021, 74th in 2022 and 81st in 2023 amidst much fanfare in media and at the tournament, which attracts galleries in excess of 60,000 fans.
Barkley’s best finish over 27 starts at Lake Tahoe came in 1995, when he placed 60th, two years after winning the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Award for the Phoenix Suns. The last time he placed in the Top 70 came in 2020, when he finished 69th
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The 54-hole tournament is set for Friday – Sunday, at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in the destination resort, where it was launched by NBC Sports in 1990. The event will be televised by NBC Sports, GOLF Channel and Peacock over the course of the three days. The tournament will be scored using a modified Stableford format awarding points per hole as follows: double-eagle – 10, hole-in-one – 8, eagle – 6, birdie – 3, par – 1, bogey – 0, double bogey – (-2).
“The popular Charles Barkley prop returns for the American Century Championship in 2024,” said Anthony Sallerolli, Golf Lead at Caesars Sportsbook. “Sir Charles is an avid golfer and is a fan-favorite, making this our most popular proposition bet for this tournament year after year.”