The final round of the 2008 American Century Celebrity Golf Championship is in the books

What an exciting tournament this turned out to be. It came down to the final putt on the 18th hole for former MLB Pitcher, Rick Rhoden. The all time leading money winner on the Celebrity Tour sank a six foot putt for a birdie to become the 2008 Celebrity Golf Champion. Rhoden's previous victories have all come in odd years making this win even more special for the now seven time event Champion. Rhoden had to birdie the last 2 holes to overcome former NHL All-Star Center, Dan Quinn. Quinn held the lead in the clubhouse after shooting a 4 under par round of 68 scoring 28 points for the day falling just one point shy of capturing his 5th title. Coming in a tie for third place this week was Dallas Cowboys Quarterback, Tony Romo and NHL Hall of Fame Goaltender, Grant Fuhr. Fuhr also fired a 4 under par round of 68 scoring 27 points today and 64 points for the tournament. Romo on the other hand, posted an even par round of 72 with 3 bogies and 3 birdies. Romo did have a chance to tie Quinn in the clubhouse with an eagle putt on 18.

There was a three way tie for 5th place between Actor Jack Wagner and NHL Hockey great's Brett Hull and Pierre Larouche. Both Wagner and Hull posted 2 under par rounds of 70 scoring 25 points for the day. Rounding out the top ten are Superbowl MVP, Mark Rypien, San Jose Sharks Center, Jeremy Roenick, Hall of Fame Quarterback, John Elway and Hall of Fame Linebacker, Lawrence Taylor.

It was another great year at the Superbowl of Celebrity Sports and we will see you again for the 20th anniversary of this event in 2009.

Geoff Burke
Tahoecelebritygolf.com

Final round is underway at the Celebrity Golf Championship

The leaders are on the course and have all pared their first two holes. There is not alot of chatter between the final group because they are all out here to win the $125,000 first prize and the 2008 title. Jumping into 3rd place this morning is former NFL Quarterback, Mark Rypien. Rypien just birdied the par 5 3rd hole giving the Superbowl MVP 44 points just 3 points out of the lead. Buffalo Bills Head Coach, Dick Jauron, is playing solid golf with all par's and 1 birdie on his front nine. Jauron has scored 9 points today so far and is leading the list of both fomer and present professional sports coaches.

Superbowl MVP Quarterback, Joe Theisman, has just turned in a 2 under par front nine round of 34 scoring 13 points so far for the day. Theisman has played great golf over the year's here at Edgewood but has yet to put together 3 good rounds. First round leaders NHL great's Jeremy Roenick and Brett Hull are falling back out of the top 10 but don't count out these hockey buddies on the back nine. Well it's back out to the course to get the final scoop for the tournament.

Geoff Burke
Tahoecelebritygolf.com

2nd round of the American Century Championship is complete

Six time Celebrity Golf Champion, Rick Rhoden, leads the field after today's 2nd round with a total of 45 points. Rhoden fired an even par round of 72 with 5 birdies and 3 bogies on his card scoring him 22 points for the day. The former MLB Pitcher holds a 2 point lead over Dallas Cowboys Quarterback, Tony Romo. Romo's 1 under par round of 73 scored the crowd favorite 20 points and a date in the final group come Sunday. The next 3 spots are held by the NHL's finest. San Jose Sharks All-Star Center, Jeremy Roenick, started the day with the lead but posted a 6 over par round of 78 only scoring the future Hall of Fame center 15 points. Roenick is currently in a tie for 3rd place with former NHL All-Star Center Pierre Larouche both with 41 points only a par and a birdie away from the lead. Four time winner of this event, Dan Quinn, posted the 2nd best round of the day with a 1 under par round of 71 and 22 points for the day. Quinn and Rhoden own over half of the victories in this event so don't count out the former NHL All-Star Center. The best round of the day by far was turned in by 2 time Suberbowl MVP, John Elway. Elway's impressive round of 4 under par 68 scored the Hall of Fame Quarterback 27 points. Elway is one of only 6 celebrities to play in all 19 Celebrity Golf Championship's. There are 10 players within striking distance of our leader so Sunday should be some pretty exciting golf. Check back tomorrow for the final round fireworks.

Geoff Burke
Tahoecelebritygolf.com

It's moving day at the Celebrity Golf Championship

Round 2 is under way at Edgewood Tahoe and some big moves are being made and I do mean BIG! Hall of Fame NFL Linebacker, Lawrence Taylor, is sitting atop the leaderboard half way through the second round. LT has posted 3 birdies and no bogies so far today with 6 holes left and 2 par 5's. Taylor has already scored 18 points matching his total from yesterday. Also making a move today is six time Celebrity Golf Champion Rick Rhoden. This former MLB Pitcher started the day off by posting birdies on 3 of his first 6 holes and is just now making the turn to start his back nine. You can never count the all time leading money winner on the Celebrity Tour. When Rhoden starts to make a move most of the other players start looking for second place.

Last year's champion, former NFL All-Pro Quarterback Chris Chandler, sits alone in 5th place right now playing solid golf with only one double bogie and an eagle on the par 5 4th hole. First round leaders NHL Hockey greats Jeremy Roenick and Brett Hull are almost finished with their front nine and are still a threat to score some points before the end of the day. Actor Jack Wagner started of the day on fire with 3 birdies in a row but has since been on the bogie train. The back nine at Edgewood is usually where players can score big points so check back in for the final scores from round 2.

Geoff Burke
Tahoecelebritygolf.com

It's "Hockey Day" at the first round of the Celebrity Golf Championship

The National Hockey League captures the top 3 spots after the first round of the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship. Leading the way is the San Jose Sharks All-Star Center, Jeremy Roenick. Roenick fired a 2 under par round of 70, scoring a total of 26 points just edging out playing partner and former NHL All-Star Brett Hull. Hull's 1 under par round consisted of 4 birdies and one eagle scoring him a total of 25 points. Both Hull and Roenick eagled the 18th hole which scores 6 points in this modified stableford scoring system. Rounding out the top three is another former NHL All-Star, Pierre Larouche. Larouche played solid golf all day long and posted a 1 under par round of 71 scoring the 2 time Stanley Cup Champion 23 points.

Six-time Celebrity Golf Champion, Rick Rhoden, finished up strong by shooting 2 under par on his final 9 holes. This former MLB Pitcher was only 1 birdie away from tying Roenick for first place. Also tied with Rhoden is Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo and former Superbowl MVP Mark Rypien. Romo started of on fire but just couldn't keep it going on his back nine. By most accounts, Rypien played the best golf of the day but only managed to score 23 points with only 1 bogie coming on the par 3 17th hole.

Early round leader Vince Coleman played great golf but finished up by posting 2 bogies on his final 2 holes leaving him with only 22 points tied for 7th. Also scoring 22 points today is the NFL All-Time Receiving leader Jerry Rice. Rice posted an even par round of 72 with 4 birdies. It was Jerry's best round at this tournament so far. The question is will these first time leaders fold under the weekend pressure or will we have a new champion come Sunday.

Geoff Burke
Tahoecelebritygolf.com

Mid day tournament action

We are just about half way through the first round of this year's Celebrity Golf Championship. Early round leaders have given way to some new names atop the leaderboard. MLB All-Star Outfielder, Vince Coleman, has been holding steady with a one under par round of 35 on his first nine holes. Posting another one under par round of 35 is former NFL Quarterback Mark Rypien. Rypien won the first tournament here way back in 1990 and has finished in the top 10 many times. Posting the best front nine so far is Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo. Romo started off a little bit rusty with 2 bogies but has since scored 2 birdies and an eagle on the par 5 forth hole.

The usual suspects in this tournament like Rick Rhoden, Dan Quinn, Billy Jo Tolliver and Jack Wagner are all off to very slow starts. None of these past champions is currently in the top 10. Could this be the year that someone else adds their name to this impressive list of champions.

Stay tuned to Tahoecelebritygolf.com for all the latest photos, commentary and video from this year's tournament. We will be back for more blogging once the first round is complete.

Geoff Burke

The first round of the 2008 Celebrity Golf Championship is under way!

It's Friday morning at Edgewood Tahoe Golf course and the action is already heating up. The early lead is held by former NFL All-Pro Quarterback Steve Bartkowski with 6 points. Bartkowski is playing solid golf with 3 pars and 1 birdie in this modified stableford scoring system. Players are awarded 1 point for par, 3 points for a birdie, 6 points for an eagle and so on. Former MLB All-Star Outfielder, Vince Coleman, is alone in second place with 5 points. Coleman has posted 2 par's and 1 birdie so far on his round. First timer to this event Nascar great, Dale Jarrett, birdied his first hole at Edgewood to score a quick 3 points shooting him right up the leaderboard. Jarrett is the only player so far to birdie the first hole. Go Dale Go!

On the lighter side this morning, 19 month old William Dylan O'Hurley. Son of Actor/Host John O'Hurley, launched his golf career by hitting a few shots with his Dad this morning on the driving range in front of fans and celebrities cheering him on. Talk about pressure. That's all for now at Edgewood. I am heading back on to the course to get the latest scoop. :)

Geoff Burke
Tahoecelebritygolf.com

Hall of Fame Quarterback John Elway wins the 2008 Brodie Award

"The Brodie," as it has become known, is an award given to honor an athlete or personality who has achieved success in their field and in the great game of golf. The inaugural award was presented to John Brodie who was voted NFL MVP in 1970 and then won on the senior PGA Tour in 1991. Brodie contended for many years at the Celebrity Championship and has helped to promote the popularity of this Super Bowl of sports golf tournament. Although Brodie never won this tournament, one of his greatest moments came last year when son-in-law, former All-Pro Quarterback Chris Chandler, won the 2007 American Celebrity Golf Championship.

This year's award is presented to former Denver Broncos MVP Quarterback John Elway. Elway has played in the last 18 Celebrity Golf Championships posting 8 top ten finishes. Elway has contended for this title many times, but his best finish is a tie for second in 1999. John Elway has one of the most impressive resumes of any athlete or personality out here. Elway was voted into a record tying 9 Pro Bowls, has 47 game winning or game tying drives, 2 Super Bowl rings and was voted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Previous winners of this award include NHL Superstar and 1998 Celebrity Golf Champion, Mario Lemieux, and MLB star pitcher and six time winner of this event, Rick Rhoden.

Some years ago, John Brodie suffered a life threatening stroke. After aggressive therapy, Brodie's road to recovery continues and he is always a fixture at this tournament.

Geoff Burke

Day 2 at Tahoe Celebrity Golf Week

Wednesday July 9 - It was a great day for fans to get "up close and personal" with their favorite celebrities. Celebrities enjoyed Tahoe's great weather to try and sharpen their skills for the start of Friday's first round. Crowd favorite Michael Jordan was seen teeing it up with Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo. I wonder how many shots the All-Pro Quarterback had to give the Six Time NBA Champion. Many think Romo is the "sand bagger" in this year's tournament. The odds makers have Tony at 8/1 to win in 2008. Speaking of odds, topping the list is six time Celebrity Golf Champion Rick Rhoden at 9/5. Historically, all Rhoden's victories have come in odd years. Could this be Rhoden's year to start a new streak? The mighty Dan Quinn comes in at 2/1 with Billy Joe Tolliver rounding out the top 3 at 4/1. My Cinderella pick to win this year's tournament is first-time player, Nascar great Dale Jarrett. Jarrett is coming in at 12/1 odds in the casinos. Jarrett was offered a full scholarship to play golf in college at the University of South Carolina. It will be interesting to see how this professional race car driver fits in with this brotherhood of professional athletes. There has only been one non-athlete to win this tournament -- actor Jack Wagner in 2006.

More practice rounds and the Celeb-Am scheduled for tomorrow, but stay tuned, because at Edgewood Tahoe anything is possible.

Geoff Burke

Day One at Tahoe Celebrity Golf Week

Tahoe Celebrity Golf Week 2008, is up and running.
Tuesday, July 8th - Today's Scoop from the 19th Hole @ Edgewood Tahoe's Press Room. Breaking News: Cat's out of the bag - Wayne and Judy Gretzky are enroute to South Lake Tahoe to compete in this year's American Century Celebrity Golf Championship. NHL's Gretzky, aka The Great One, last played this prestigeous tournament in 1999. Let's see how the Phoenix Coyotes boss and Mrs. G. fair this year with Modified Stableford Rules in play. No doubt, Wayne's Goaltender coach Grant Fuhr and other NHL alumni pals in this tournament will contribute a little guidance.

Speaking of Grant Fuhr, this could very well be his year at Edgewood Tahoe. This Alberta native, NHL All Star and Hall of Famer has a chance to walk out of here with $125 Gs on Sunday. A possible future Brodie Award contender yes?!

Today they played the LTVA Celeb Am at Edgewood. It's the traditional kick off event for this week long Celebrity Golf Celebration. About 18 Celeb Players teamed up with guys who are in the know and enjoy a good game of golf with a competitive edge. Today's winners; The Harrah's Tahoe Team headed up by our own Mr. V and Family with ACC's very first tournament champion, NFL's Mark Rypien.

A few other Celeb Players were spotted on the course today getting in an extra practice round. Among them, Baltimore Ravens QB Kyle Boller and defending ACC Champ - Chris Chandler. Both sporting multi day stubbles which makes one wonder if these boys are prepping for a new NBC TV series. Not likely.

Something big's in the works here at Edgewood this weekend for Sir Charles. We'd tell ya, but then we'd have to - well, you know. But we do promise it isn't a rematch sprint race with a certian NBA Ref.

Wednesday the 9th is official Practice Round Day at Edgewood and from Weather.com's local prediction - the hottest day of the year. But we're predicting more fair winds that will keep the Tahoe Basin somewhat clear of smoke. And then - the Burkster, along with Stan, The Man With The Booming Voice - will be here Wednesday to continue these blog extravagancies. (Hark! A huge cheer erupts from the blogosphere).

Don't forget to catch all the fun, games and more than just a few exciting putts - from Lake Tahoe this weekend on ESPN and NBC Sports. Later . . .

Tahoe Celebrity Golf Week . . . July 8-13, 2008

It's show time at Edgewood Tahoe and we are ready for the first tee off of Tahoe Celebrity Golf Week 2008. We'll be blogging live from the Press Room at Edgewood - right through next Sunday's Round 3 of this 19th Annual American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe.

The Burkster, our sports editor extraordinaire, will be heading up this desk for the duration. No doubt he'll be getting input from Stan the Man and other numerous luminaries of various persuasions and handicaps.

Big announcement this Monday - a last minute Celebrity Player addition. No names, but his initials are W.G. Stay tuned ;-)