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The American Century Championship is where celebrities go to compete on the golf course.
Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe is where the biggest celebrity golf show will take place. The tournament begins on July 10 and will run until July 12.
The American Century Championship uses a modified Stableford scoring system instead of traditional stroke play, meaning that instead of counting total strokes, players receive points based on their score on each hole.
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Joe Pavelski celebrates with the trophy after the final round of the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada, on July 13, 2025. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
An albatross is worth 10 points, a hole-in-one is worth eight points, an eagle is worth six points, a birdie is worth three points, a par is worth one point, a bogey is worth nothing, and anything two over par or worse is worth minus two points.
Last year, former NHL star Joe Pavelski won with 73 points. World Series champion John Smoltz finished second with 64 points, country singer Jake Owen placed third with 62 points, former USMNT soccer star Taylor Twellman placed fourth with 61 points and Golden State Warriors legend Steph Curry placed fifth with 58 points.
Smoltz told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview that he didn’t start fast enough in the first round, forcing him to play catch-up.
“I get off to a slow start. Every tournament, I rally in the second and third round with a hole that’s too big. I make a lot of pars. It’s very frustrating to say I make a lot of pars. That would normally be good, but it’s not in this tournament. I think at one point I made 29 pars in a row in a tournament, and it was nauseating. It was like I’d rather bite the head off my putter because you only get one point for a par,” Smoltz told Pak Gazette Digital in an interview. recent.
Smoltz attributed his slow starts to a conservative mindset and emphasized the importance of making birdie putts.
“You get three times the value of a birdie. So like last year, I think I made seven or eight birdies in the last round to finish second. I couldn’t chase Pavelski, but I’m wondering, ‘Where has that been? Where are those birdies in the first round?'” Smoltz said.
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Annika Sörenstam watches from the seventh green during the first round of the 2026 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida, on January 29, 2026. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
LPGA legend Annika Sörenstam echoed Smoltz’s sentiment about the need to be aggressive because of the scoring system.
“I would love to bring him home. I haven’t been able to do that. I keep trying every year. I keep knocking on the door. I want to get the guys once. I mean, obviously I have to play well all three rounds. I think I need to be a little more aggressive because it’s Stableford, as you know,” Sorenstam told Pak Gazette Digital.
“A different format than what I’m used to. I mean, as far as you know, in my professional career we played stroke play for four days. Consistency was really the key. Now, it’s about getting points, and you get points by being more aggressive here. It rewards birdies and eagles. I think I really have to try to be a little more aggressive, which maybe isn’t my nature when it comes to golf.”
Smoltz, Sorenstam, Owen, Pavelski, Curry, former NFL star Adam Thielen and Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves are among the favorites. While golf is certainly a big draw for some of the celebrities, many praised the atmosphere the tournament has.
“I think American Century does a great job of getting good people to come and be a part of the tournament, and it’s also very good golf,” Minnesota Twins legend Joe Mauer told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview.
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Sportscaster Jay Bilas plays golf during the first practice round of the 2025 ACC Celebrity Golf Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada, on July 9, 2025. (David Calvert/Getty Images for American Century Investments)
“They make you feel like you’re on tour for a week.”
This will be the 37th American Century Championship, and Super Bowl champion Joe Theismann has played in 36 of them. He said he used to be a 2 handicap but now it’s a 9 as he doesn’t hit the ball as far.
He described the event as one not to be missed, not only for the golf, but for all the people you will meet.
“The American Century Championship has evolved into one of those things where if you love golf and you’re in that quote-unquote celebrity world, it’s what you really want to be involved in. You get to measure your game. You get to pull back the curtain on so many wonderful people, and you get to see the ones you see on TV because I’m a fan of everything. But now you get the chance to see them up close and personal, and you get the chance to meet them and get to know them, and it’s exciting,” Theismann told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview.
The 76-year-old said he can visit people in the countryside. He mentioned Jerry Rice, Tony Romo and Miles Teller as people he has had conversations with, calling himself a Teller “fan.”
Theismann said that “Top Gun: Maverick” is his favorite movie of all time.
ESPN announcer Jay Bilas said he was invited six or seven years ago and called it the equivalent of a PGA Tour player being invited to the Masters.
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Joe Mauer putsts during the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada, on July 12, 2019. (Tom R. Smedes, Tom R. Smedes via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
“When I got invited six or seven years ago, I was excited. I just couldn’t believe I could do it. And they have been, they must have a very low bar, but I’ve been invited again since then. And for me, getting that invitation has to be the equivalent of a PGA Tour player being invited to the Masters. So when you get the invitation, you’re like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe they invited me back.’ And it’s an automatic yes,” Bilas told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview.
“It’s just exciting. And it’s equally exciting once you’re there because it’s a beautiful setting in Lake Tahoe at the Edgewood Resort. The weather is always spectacular. Seventy thousand people are there in shorts and summer dresses and just enjoying seeing some of their favorite celebrities.”
Bilas said he loves competing in the tournament, but the atmosphere is what makes it special. He credited CEO Jonathan Thomas for being so welcoming and creating a family atmosphere that everyone loves.
NFL great Patrick Peterson said the event has evolved over the years and said it’s something his entire family enjoys.
“My daughters look forward to going to Lake Tahoe every year not only to walk with dad, but also to go out on the lake,” Peterson told Pak Gazette Digital in a recent interview. “Going to the top of the mountain and zip lining and things like that. So the memories they can create for the families involved are countless.”
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John Smoltz hits a shot during the ACC golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe. (Tom R. Smedes/Special to RGJ via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
NFL legend Jerome Bettis said the American Century Championship gives him a locker room vibe he no longer has.
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“I think the favorite part is really arguing with the athletes because obviously being retired, you don’t have the opportunity to do that anymore. And so when you get the opportunity to make fun of the guys and have fun with guys like that experience in the locker room again, it’s really fun and exhilarating,” Bettis said.
The tournament has raised more than $8 million for regional and national charities. American Century Investments donates 40% of its profits to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and activates tournament fundraising to drive direct donations to Stowers each year.
