American Century Championship
The American Century Championship (currently known as the American Century Championship for sponsorship reasons; previously known as the Celebrity Golf Tournament, the Isuzu Celebrity Golf Championship, and the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship) is a celebrity golf tournament. It is scheduled for the second full week of July. The American Century Championship is always held at the same location: Edgewood Tahoe Resort, a golf resort in the western United States, on the south shore of Lake Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada.
Tournament information
Stateline, Nevada, U.S.
1990, 34 years ago
72
6,709 yards (6,135 m)[1]
Edgewood Tahoe Resort
Celebrity event
Stroke play (1990–2003): 54 holes
Modified Stableford (2004–present): 54 holes
$600,000
July
Billy Joe Tolliver (2010)
The tournament has a number of traditions. These traditions include the Long Drive Challenge, Charity Chip Challenge, and the Korbel Hole-In-One Contest.
Rick Rhoden has won the most American Century Championships, with eight between 1991 and 2009. Dan Quinn won five between 1992 and 2012. Billy Joe Tolliver won four between 1996 and 2013. Two have won three titles at Edgewood: Mark Mulder and Tony Romo. Two have won two titles at Edgewood: Actor Jack Wagner and Mark Rypien. Wagner is the only non-professional athlete to have won the event, and Mulder is the only one to win three consecutive times.[2] The profession with the most wins is football (12), followed by baseball (11), ice hockey (6), acting (2), basketball (2), and tennis (1). Only five times in the history of the tournament has an active professional athlete emerged as the winner; Mark Rypien (1990), Dan Quinn (1992), Billy Joe Tolliver (1996), Al Del Greco (2000), and Stephen Curry (2023).
Edgewood Tahoe Resort first opened in 1968. The golf course was originally designed by George Fazio and opened in 1968.[3] George's nephew Tom Fazio has since renovated the now 7,379-yard (6,747 m) course from time to time.[4]
Field[edit]
The American Century Championship participants are celebrities, both male and female. Although participation by professional golfers is usually avoided, a handful of female players with professional and/or collegiate experience have been invited to play, the most notable being Annika Sörenstam, who has one runner-up finish at Edgewood Lake Tahoe. The size of the field has gradually increased over the years to meet the growing interest of celebrities wanting to compete. 93 players were a part of the 2023 event.[76]
Most wins[edit]
The first winner of this celebrity golf tournament was Mark Rypien in 1990, and he repeated in 2014. The player with the most tournament victories is Rick Rhoden, who won eight times between 1991 and 2009. Dan Quinn has five wins, followed by Billy Joe Tolliver with four, and Mark Mulder and Tony Romo have three titles to their name. Rypien was the tournament's first foreign-born winner in the inaugural event with his first victory in 1990. Two-time champions include Jack Wagner and Rypien.