A contingent of active NFL players and coaches, including newcomers Larry Fitzgerald, Case Keenum, Mitch Trubisky, Sean Payton and Bill O’Brien, highlight the field of competitors at the 29th annual American Century Championship golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, July 10-15 airing on NBC and NBCSN. www.americancenturychampionship.com
Other NFL star players competing include Aaron Rodgers, Jared Goff, Patrick Peterson, Adam Thielen, Robbie Gould and Golden Tate. The Hall of Fame list includes John Elway, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Charles Woodson, Brian Urlacher, Emmitt Smith, Marcus Allen, Tim Brown and Terrell Davis.
Doug Pederson, head coach of the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles, and Marvin Lewis of the Cincinnati Bengals are returning and will join head coaches O’Brien of the Houston Texans and Payton of the New Orleans Saints, both making their initial appearances.
Former All-Pro superstars feature the Dallas Cowboys Tony Romo (now a leading TV talent on CBS) and first timer DeMarcus Ware. Reggie Bush will be a rookie in the field joining veterans Carson Palmer, Sterling Sharpe, Jim McMahon, Rodney Harrison, Joe Theismann, A.J. Hawk, Trent Dilfer and two-time tournament champion Mark Rypien.
The event serves as a final respite just before the opening of NFL training camps each year.
The popular tournament continues to attract record attendance with its superstar field, family appeal, and charity fundraising at Lake Tahoe, one of the country’s most attractive summer destinations.
Now in its 29th year, the tournament offers a purse of $600,000, with $125,000 to the winner. The 54-hole competition will test the golf skills of 88 stars from sports and entertainment and has donated more than $5 million to charity. It will be televised live by NBC and NBCSN from Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, its home since the 1990 inaugural, at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, July 13, Saturday, July 14 and Sunday, July 15. Additional coverage will be provided by Golf Channel through the course of the week.
Superstars from the NBA and Major League Baseball as well as entertainers are expected to announce their participation in the coming weeks.
The 2018 American Century Championship utilizing the Modified Stableford format whereby points are awarded as follows: 10 for a double eagle, 8 for a hole in one, 3 for a birdie, 1 for par, 0 for bogey, and minus 2 for double bogey. The tournament will be held at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, a George Fazio design which has been rated by Golf Digest Magazine as one of “America’s Top 100 Golf Courses.”
American Century Investments, the title sponsor of the championship since 1998, continues its role in the nation’s premier celebrity golf tournament through 2022, along with partnerships with NBC Sports, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course and the South Tahoe community.