Wagner Leads Romo by 6 at American Century Championship

Saturday, July 16, 2011

South Shore, Lake Tahoe, Nev. – Daytime actor Jack Wagner scored 23 points Saturday, giving him a total of 52 points and a 6-point lead over Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo after two rounds of the American Century Championship. The 54-hole celebrity event uses a Stableford scoring system that awards graduated points for pars or better.

It’s the first time that Wagner remembers holding the 36-hole lead at the celebrity event, even though he was the winner in 2006 and finished tied for second last year.

Romo, meanwhile, made up ground to finish with 46 points after seven birdies over the 6,865-yard Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. Former winner Chris Chandler heads into Sunday’s final round with 42 points; actor Oliver Hudson has 41, and Vinny DelNegro, John Smotz and Jeremy Roenick have 40.

Romo has tried to qualify for the U.S. Open the last couple years. Wagner has made his mark on the golf course as a six-time club champ at Bel-Air Country Club (Calif.).

“I didn’t get the par 5s, but to get 1 under on a day when I was probably going a little sideways, I’m kind of happy with that,” said Wagner. “I got it in the house and I’m still in the lead… (My caddie) David Berganio (former U.S. Amateur Public Links champion) keeps saying, ‘Take it man. Let’s go! Put the petal to the metal, dude.’ But I’m an actor, I don’t know ‘petal to the metal.’”

Playing in the group in front of Wagner, Romo closed to within 3 points before Wagner birdied the final hole. And he feels good about his chances of catching Wagner.

“The way I’m hitting it, I think I can put up a number tomorrow,” said Romo, who will not accept any prize money in the $600,000 purse in order to retain his amateur status. “I hit the target a lot today, and I like my chances. Whenever I show up to play, I don’t show up to finish second or third.”

By Craig Smith, former director of media relations for the U.S. Golf Association.