A bonafide hero will return to the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe this July after making his last appearance in 2015. www.americancenturychampionship.com ;
Retired United States Army Corporal Chad Pfeifer, an Iraqi War Veteran and amputee whose golf-centered rehabilitation has turned him into a top-tier tournament player, will join the field once again in the competition for $600,000 in prize money July 14-16 at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. The tournament is covered live on NBC Sports and NBCSN.
Three years ago, Pfeifer stunned the tournament by seizing the lead after the first round of competition. He ended up placing fifth and became a crowd favorite rivaling the biggest names in the field. He returned to the tournament in 2015 and finished in ninth place.
While serving in Iraq in 2007, Pfeifer’s life changed when a bomb exploded under the patrol vehicle he was driving and he lost his left leg above the knee. Pfeifer was portrayed in George W. Bush’s “Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors,” a book of paintings and stories by the past Chief Executive honoring the sacrifice of America’s military veterans whom he grew to know personally.
Pfeifer is a three-time winner of the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s Warrior Open and one of three Warrior Open champions who have been invited to Lake Tahoe to compete in the celebrity tournament as part of the American Century Investments initiative. The aggregate earnings of Chad and two other Warrior Open champions, Andrew Bachelder and Rodney Gorman is $49,489. Pfeifer’s fifth place 2014 finish earned him $20,000, and he earned $11,993 in 2015. Gorman won $8,520 with his 14th place finish in 2015. Bachelder earned $8,976 by taking 13th place last year.
In May, Pfeifer celebrated two golf tournament victories in South Africa at the World Cup of Disabled Golf and at the Canon SA Disabled Golf Open. Pfeifer and partner Kenny Bontz were victorious at the World Cup of Disabled Golf, winning by 42 strokes with a score of 581 at the King David Mowbray Golf Club. This was Chad’s second consecutive year winning the Canon SA Disabled Golf Open with a six shot victory of four under par 212 also at King David Mowbray.
Pfeifer is also the 2011 and 2015 National Amputee Tournament champion. In 2015 he became the first veteran amputee to play in a Web.com Tour event and competed on the Golf Channel’s “The Big Break The Palm Beaches, FL.”
As part of the tournament’s special tribute to America’s military, all active duty, reservists, National Guard and veterans can receive two complimentary tickets per day, at the 28th annual tournament. All service men and women who would like to attend can apply by going tohttps://verify.sheerid.com/americancenturychampionship2017/ to redeem the special offer. Participants must show photo ID along with the ticket voucher at tournament gates to receive complimentary ticket(s)
The American Century Championship has a history of promoting and fundraising for military and first responder causes. In 2002, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, three New York City firemen who had worked tirelessly at Ground Zero were added to the celebrity field and the tournament raised over $150,000 for the Uniformed Firefighters Scholarship Fund to aid the children of those lost in that tragedy. In 2003-4 Mark Cuban’s Fallen Patriot Fund was the tournament’s charity beneficiary and $1.5 million was raised to aid military veterans with extraordinary needs upon returning home from fighting for America’s freedom.
Among Pfeifer’s other golf accomplishments is the Folds of Honor Foundation’s 2013 Patriot Cup Championship in partnership with PGA Tour standout Zach Johnson. Pfeifer also played four years of college baseball, finishing his career at Division I Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, ID.