Top Field Features Newcomers Colin Jost, The Miz, Jake Owen & Fan Favorites Justin Timberlake, Charles Barkley, Larry the Cable Guy at Celebrity Golf’s Pre-eminent Championship on NBC
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.– Sports and entertainment superstars will take center stage at Edgewood Tahoe, July 6-10, for the 33rd rendition of the American Century Championship, celebrity golf’s most prominent tournament.
Gallery favorites Justin Timberlake, Charles Barkley, and Larry the Cable Guy will be joined by first time players Colin Jost of Saturday Night Live, The Miz of World Wrestling Entertainment fame, and Jake Owen, country music singer/songwriter to compete for $600,000 and charity fundraising during the 54-hole tournament.
The American Century Championship will be televised nationally Friday-Sunday (July 8-10), with GOLF Channel carrying the opening round on Friday and NBC airing live coverage Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets are now available online only in advance at: www.AmericanCenturyChampionship.com with daily tickets for Wednesday’s practice round and Thursday’s Celebrity-Amateur at $30, and tournament rounds Friday, Saturday and Sunday at $40 per day. A Grounds Pass for all five days is just $90, a 50% savings.
Vinny Del Negro will defend his title against top celebrity contenders including Annika Sorenstam, one of the greatest professional players in history with 72 LPGA Tour wins and eight Player of the Year Awards; Mark Mulder, three time ACC champion and former Oakland A’s and St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Pitcher; Mardy Fish, 2020 tournament winner, former tennis star and current captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team; and John Smoltz, MLB Hall of Fame pitcher, 2018 US Senior Open qualifier and Fox MLB analyst.
A contingent of 29 NFL stars are in the field including current quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, 2021 MVP; and Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders. Active players also feature Robbie Gould, 49ers; Adam Thielen, Harrison Smith and Patrick Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings.
Hall of Famers feature Michael Strahan, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Jerome Bettis, Terrell Davis, Brian Urlacher, Charles Woodson; as well as former All-Pros Larry Fitzgerald, DeMarcus Ware, Kyle Williams, and Jim McMahon. Current coaches include Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans, and Herm Edwards, Arizona State.
NBA representation includes Hall of Famers Ray Allen, and local favorite Charles Barkley; defending champ Del Negro; current Miami Heat star Kyle Lowery and Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso, making his tournament debut; and Vince Carter, eight-time All-Star and current ESPN analyst.
Women currently in the field include the aforementioned Annika, who’ll be joined by Dylan Dreyer, meteorologist for NBC News and Today; Kathryn Tappen, NBC Sports anchor and on-air personality; and Kira K. Dixon, GOLF Channel reporter and 2015 Miss America.
The lineup of entertainers, actors and comedians features Jost, Miles Teller, Anthony Anderson, Alfonso Ribeiro, Michael Pena, Ray Romano, Rob Riggle, Brian Baumgartner, John O’Hurley, Larry the Cable Guy, Jay DeMarcus, formerly of Rascal Flatts, Jason Scheff, former singer and bassist for Chicago, and Jack Wagner, two-time champion and one of two originals along with Jim McMahon, to have played in all 32 American Century Championships.
Major League Baseball includes Smoltz, teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, CC Sabathia, Joe Maurer, Jimmy Rollins, Kevin Millar, Shane Victorino, Tim Wakefield, and David Wells.
Additions to the field will be announced leading up to the championship in July. The current tournament field is available Here.
The 54-hole competition will test the golf skills of more than 80 players, some of whom compete as amateurs and donate their prize money to tournament charities. The American Century Championship has donated over $5 million to non-profits.
The 2022 American Century Championship will utilize the Modified Stableford format whereby points are awarded by score per hole. Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, a George Fazio design, is 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 partnership with NBC Sports, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course and the South Tahoe community.
For the latest details, photos, celebrity tweets and fan contests using #ACCgolf go to @ACChampionship on Twitter and Instagram, and Facebook. For tournament information: www.AmericanCenturyChampionship.com.
About American Century Investments – Tournament Title Sponsor
American Century Investments is a leading global asset manager focused on delivering investment results and building long-term client relationships while supporting breakthrough medical research. Founded in 1958, American Century Investments’ 1,400 employees serve financial professionals, institutions, corporations and individual investors from offices in New York; London; Frankfurt; Hong Kong; Sydney; Los Angeles; Santa Clara, Calif.; and Kansas City, Mo. Jonathan Thomas is president and chief executive officer, and Victor Zhang serves as chief investment officer. Delivering investment results to clients enables American Century Investments to distribute over 40 percent of its dividends to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a 500-person, non-profit basic biomedical research organization. The Institute owns more than 40 percent of American Century Investments and has received dividend payments of $1.8 billion since 2000. For more information about American Century Investments, visit www.americancentury.com.
About the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority
Lake Tahoe was recently designated No. 24 in the World Top 100 Golf Destinations for the best combination of experiences: spectacular golf, dining, attractions, resorts, culture by GolfPass. Tahoe South combines the distinctive appeal of two worlds: spectacular natural beauty and a modern tourism destination with an array of outdoor recreation, entertainment, nightlife and gaming. Tahoe’s timeless splendor and diversity toward health and wellness, green business practices and sustainability continue to define its inimitable personality. For information about lodging, recreation, packages, and healthy travel at Tahoe South, call 1-800-288-2463 or log onto www.TahoeSouth.com
For further information, contact:
Steve Griffith
Vizion Group
484-433-7757 (East Coast)
sgriffith@VizionGroup.net
Phil Weidinger
Weidinger Public Relations
775-588-2412 (West Coast)
dinger@weidingerpr.com
Jeremy Friedman
Outlyr
407-721-9752
jfriedman@outlyr.com
