2013 American Century Championship Recap

After six days of golf, parties and celebrities we’re still trying to catch up on sleep. In case you missed the American Century Championship (we hope you didn’t!), we’ve got you covered with a recap of the week.

Tuesday-Thursday: The first three days of the tournament are all Celeb Pro-Am rounds. What does that mean? Well some lucky folks got to golf with celebrities such as Alex Smith, Michael Phelps, Stephen Curry and John Elway – among others. 

For the last three years Korbel has hosted the "Korbel Spray-off" – a contest to see who can launch their cork the furthest. They graciously opened the event to the media on Wednesday afternoon. Tom Pelissero of USA Today, won with 81 ft. The celebrities competed throughout the day on Thursday and Shane Battier took first place with 100 ft. – which flew over the fence!

Shane Battier in the Korbel Spray Off Thursday, July 18.
Photo: Korbel

After the final Pro-Am round Thursday, Korbel held a Hole-in-One competition on Edgewood's infamous Hole 17 on Friday afternoon. No one made a Hole-in-One, but Bode Miller was closest to the pin at 10 ft. 11 in. and used an 8 iron. Korbel donated $5,000 to the Tahoe Tallac Association.

Bode Miller helps present the check to the Tahoe Tallac Association.
Photo: American Century Championship

Friday-Sunday: The tournament kicked off and there were a number of leaders over the three days – Chris Chandler, Stephen Curry, Mark Rypien, Jeremy Roenick, Lucas Black, Billy Joe Tolliver and John Elway. Sunday afternoon was a nail biter. It actually came down to a tie between Mark Rypien and Billy Joe Tolliver! How does one determine a win when there's a tie? Play Hole 18 over and over until someone is determined the winner. In this case, after playing 18 three additional times, Billy Joe Tolliver was named the 24th annual American Century Championship winner!

Tournament Highlights:
Jeremy Roenick catches pass on Hole 17 from John Elway, then takes out caddie, and tackles tree.

Roenick puts on a show for the spectators at 17.
Photo: Tahoe Daily Tribune

The play-off between Rypien and Tolliver. Rypien, Hole 18, Round 2.

Billy Joe Tolliver lines up his put during the first round of sudden death playoffs.
Photo: American Century Championship

And how about the nightlife? Harveys Outdoor Concert Series hosted Tim McGraw and Rascal Flatts while MontBleu kept the party going throughout the week with Atmosphere, Slightly Stoopid and its first ever Bass Camp Festival. If you missed the concerts there were plenty of celeb sightings to be had at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe’s own Party with Arty and Peek.

Tim McGraw makes his way through the crowd.
Photo: Tiara Wasner

Who else is ready for the 25^th Anniversary next year?

Tiara works for Weidinger Public Relations and assists with PR efforts for American Century Championship – Tahoe Celebrity Golf. As an outdoor enthusiast, Tahoe is the perfect playground for Tiara to combine work with play.

Erin Leigh works for Weidinger Public Relations and assists with PR efforts for the American Century Championship – Tahoe Celebrity Golf. As a sports player and fan, Erin Leigh enjoys all sports, especially ice hockey. In addition, Tahoe offers no-edits necessary scenic beauty which she likes to capture with one of her three cameras. 

Blockbuster week ahead for American Century Championship

A powerhouse lineup of sports legends including Charles Barkley, Olympic Gold Medalist Swimmer Michael Phelps, John Elway and Olympic skier Bodie Miller will join celebrities like Ray Romano, Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall and Kevin Nealon for the 24th annual American Century Championship at Tahoe South July 16-21, 2013.

Don't miss any of the action July 16-21 at Edgewood.

More than 80 of the biggest sports and entertainment stars and celebrities will tee it up at the famed Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course for this year's celebrity golf tournament, vying for the $125,000 winner’s share of the $600,000 purse.

                      

With an impressive field that highlights notable returning players and newcomers, the American Century Championship remains the longest-running and most prominent of celebrity golf tournaments. 

First-timers this year include former NFL Pro-Bowl wide receiver Andre Reed; former NBA All-Star Detlef Schrempf and Former MLB All-Star Tim Wakefield and Hall of Fame Contender Larry "Chipper" Jones and Iván "Pudge" Rodríguez Torres.

Dan Quinn, Ernie Els’ part-time caddie and five-time winner of the American Century Championship, is the top choice of Harrah’s/HarveysLake Tahoe Race & Sportsbook to win celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course and broadcast on NBC Sports.

Among the other big-name players available for public wagering at Harrah’s/Harveys: John Smoltz (5-1), John Elway (10-1), Jerry Rice (30-1), Ray Allen (40-1), Steph Curry, Chipper Jones and Aaron Rodgers (50-1), Alex Smith, Dan Quail and Michael Phelps (100-1), Steve Spurrier (200-1), and Shane Battier, Ray Romano and Urban Meyer (300-1). Celebrated perennial longshot Charles Barkley is listed at 500-1.

NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network will televise the tournament live as follows:

Friday, July 19:  4 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET; 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. PT (live) on NBC Sports Network

Saturday, July 20: 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET; 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. PT (live) on NBC

Sunday, July 21:  3 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET; 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. PT (live) on NBC

  

Tournament scoring is based on a modified Stableford format with 10 points for a double eagle, 8 for a hole-in-one, 6 for eagle, 3 for birdie, 1 for par, 0 for bogey, and minus 2 for double-bogey or higher. The 54-hole tournament has been played at Edgewood Tahoe’s 6,707-yard lakeside course since its inception in 1990.  

The NFL participants include Mark Rypien, who won the very first American Century Championship in 1990, Hall of Famers’ Jerry Rice and Marcus Allen; Denver Broncos coach John Fox; former All-Pro quarterback Joe Theismann; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer; Oakland Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski; former Pro Bowl wide receiver Tim Brown; and former NFL coach and ESPN football analyst Herm Edwards.

NBA basketball's stars will be represented by Shane Battier, forward with the world champion Miami Heat, and Detlef Schrempf, who played in Dallas, Indiana, Seattle and Portland in his pro career.

Hockey checks in with NHL All-Star Martin Brodeur, NHL All-Star Center Jeremy Roenick, and former All-Star Mike Modano; 1980 Olympic Gold Medal winner and team captain Mike Eruzione; and NHL All-Star Joe Sakic, the $1 million 2011 tournament hole-in-one winner.

Major league baseball greats scheduled to appear include Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith; All-Star pitchers Bret Saberhagen and Greg Maddux; outfielders Joe Carter and Kenny Lofton; and power-hitter Fred McGriff.

Advance tickets are available online and daily during the tournament at the gate.  Tickets are also being sold at 127 Raley's, Nob Hill and BelAir locations throughout Northern California and Nevada.

For the latest details, celebrity tweets and fan contests follow on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. 

Olympic Gold Medal great Michael Phelps takes a swing at American Century Championship

The most decorated athlete in Olympic history is known for mastering the underwater stroke. With a record 22 Olympic medals, 18 of those being gold, Michael Phelps was born to swim. The question remains: Will Phelps' poolside grace translate into magic at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course July 16-21 during the 24th Annual American Century Championship?

Phelps will be surrounded by dozens of all-star professional athletic greats from football, baseball, basketball and hockey at the golf tournament, dubbed the "Greatest Sports Party on the Planet" in a recent Forbes article. So why not have a world famous swimmer in the mix? 

Phelps and famed golf instructor, Hank Haney.

Phelps has a proven record of having what it takes to be the best. Not only has he won the most gold medals, doubling the second highest record holders, Phelps, 29, also holds the all-time records for individual events (11), and Olympic medals in individual events for a male (13). 

In winning eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, Phelps took the record for the most first-place finishes at any single Olympic Games. Five of those victories were in individual events, tying the single Games record. In the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Phelps won four golds and two silver medals, making him the most successful athlete of the Games for the third Olympics in a row.

Phelps is the long course world record holder in the 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly and 400-meter individual medley as well as the former long course world record holder in the 200-meter freestyle and 200-meter individual medley. 

He has won a total of 71 medals in major international long-course competition, 57 gold, 11 silver, and three bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, and the Pan Pacific Championships. Phelps's international titles and record-breaking performances have earned him the World Swimmer of the Year Award seven times and American Swimmer of the Year Award nine times as well as the FINA Swimmer of the Year Award in 2012. 

His unprecedented Olympic success in 2008 earned Phelps Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year award and he even appeared on Saturday Night Live as guest host that same year. 

After the 2008 Summer Olympics, Phelps started the Michael Phelps Foundation, which focuses on growing the sport of swimming and promoting healthier lifestyles. While Phelps has since retired, some believe he may return to the pool for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.  

In the meantime, Phelps will be working on his golf game. He will join a powerhouse lineup of sports legends and entertainment celebrities including Charles Barkley John Elway, Aaron Rodgers, Bode Miller, Chipper Jones, Ray Romano, Larry the Cable Guy, Jerry Rice, Brian Urlacher and J.R. Smith. Televised on NBC Sports, the 54-hole event includes a purse of $600,000.

Celebrity sightings, parties and superstar entertainment are on tap for South Lake Tahoe during the week-long festivities. The tournament has been played at Edgewood Tahoe’s 6,707-yard lakeside course since its launch in 1990.

Advance tickets are available online at www.TahoeSouth.com. Discount tickets are also being sold at 127 Raley's, Nob Hill and Bel Air grocery store locations throughout Northern California and Nevada. During the tournament, tickets are available daily at the gate. 

Five-time ACC winner Dan Quinn looks for victory No. 6 in 2013

Former NHL center and five-time American Century Championship winner DanQuinn will be the man to beat this year when the 24th annual tournament returns to Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course July 16-21, 2013.

Will Quinn win it again in 2013?

As the 2012 winner, Quinn pulled ahead on the final back nine to earn a six-point victory over former NFL quarterback MarkRypien.

But it is the inside story behind the victory, along with Quinn's relationship with PGA Tour great Ernie Els, that will best be remembered about last year's victory.

As Quinn was just about to begin his final round, he learned that his friend Els had won the British Open, holding off Adam Scott with a finishing score of 7 under par. Els had come from six strokes behind to claim his second British Open and fourth major championship. He birdied four holes on his last nine.

Quinn, who has caddied for, and is a personal friend of Els, was hoping for the same come-from-behind victory. He started the final round three points behind leader Rypien. Buoyed by the good news about his professional golfer friend, Quinn pulled ahead to win the ACC.

The former NHL hockey star turned in his sticks for clubs full time when he retired in 1996 after 14 seasons. In 2000, he caddied for John Daly at the U.S. Open and continues to caddy part-time for Els, including the 2010 Masters.

His hockey career remains impressive. Quinn was drafted 13th overall by the Calgary Flames in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft, while he was playing for the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League. Quinn made his debut with Calgary halfway through the next season, scoring 52 points in 54 games.

When he was called up from the OHL, he lead the league in scoring with 59 points. On November 12, 1986, Quinn was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Mike Bullard. It was in Pittsburgh where Quinn would have the most individual success, as he scored a career high 40 goals in 1987–88, and a career-high 94 points the next season.

A tournament favorite to win with his five victories (1992, 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2012), Quinn continues to chase former Major League Baseball pitcher RickRhoden, who has won the ACC 8 times.

Quinn will again compete this year at the 24th annual tournament at Edgewood Tahoe, July 16-21, 2013. Final weekend coverage is aired live nationally on NBC Sports and NBC.

How do you think Quinn will finish this year? 

NFL great Mark Rypien is still ‘the one'

When it comes to American Century Championship all-stars, Mark Rypien is still the first, in more ways than one. Not only is the former pro football star the first Canadian-born player to start in the NFL, he is also the first Canadian-born player to receive the Super Bowl MVP in the Redskins' Super Bowl XXVI victory.

Oh yeah, the two-time NFL Pro Bowl quarterback from Calgary, Alberta was also the very first winner of the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in 1990. He plans to return again this year. All bets are on that he aims for that 1990 repeat performance.

Rypien’s persistence, accuracy and long shots were not only his attributes as a quarterback (he was best known for his accuracy as a deep passer and developing an incredible sense of timing with receivers downfield) but also on the golf course, with the inaugural ACC win and total of six top 10 finishes at Edgewood Tahoe.

His football status forever remains outstanding. In his 11 NFL seasons, six spent with the Washington Redskins (1988 to 1993) Rypien completed 1,466 of 2,613 passes for 18,473 yards and 115 touchdowns, with 88 interceptions. He rushed 127 times for 166 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Rypien's best season was in 1991 where he threw for 3,564 yards and 28 touchdowns with 11 interceptions, leading the Redskins to Super Bowl XXVI after recording a 14-2 regular season record. He was named the MVP of the game, passing for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns and guiding his team to a 37-24 win over the Buffalo Bills.

After leaving the Redskins he went on to become a backup, serving with the Cleveland Browns in 1994, the St. Louis Rams in 1995 and 1997 and the Philadelphia Eagles in 1996.

He signed with the Atlanta Falcons for the 1998 season but did not play. His three-year-old son, Andrew, died from a malignant brain tumor that year and caused Rypien to leave the game (although he would return in 2001 for a stint with the Colts).

Because of the tragedy, the Rypien Foundation was created with a commitment to provide hope and help for families battling childhood cancer. Mark and his family experienced firsthand what families go through when fighting this potentially deadly disease and recognized the value that quality care can bring to both patient and family.

In addition to the foundation, family and business interests, Rypien also managed a brief stint in NASCAR racing as a team owner and was the original owner of the 2004 Sprint Cup championship-winning #97 team.

Swinging clubs, however, has become his passion. An avid golfer, Rypien participates in charity tournaments at various locations across. He has played in one PGA Tour event (1992 Kemper Open) and one Nationwide Tour event (2000 Buy.com Tri-Cities Open).

During the AmericanCentury Championship, Rypien draws the crowds and the long fairway shots to the green. He's earned standout-favorite status and is always in contention. Rypien will again compete this year at the 24th annual tournament at Edgewood Tahoe, July 16-21, 2013. Final weekend coverage is aired live nationally on NBC Sports and NBC.