Basketball greats return to 25th American Century Championship

NBA superstars, legends and some of the best college and pro basketball coaches in the game will take to the tee box instead of the free throw line at Edgewood Tahoe July 15-20, aiming for pins and cups instead of buckets and nets.

Don't miss the one handed swing of Sir Charles at the 25th Annual American Century Championship. 

In its 25th year, the American Century Championship has a proud tradition of hosting some of the finest basketball players ever to grace the game. Among them, Charles Barkley will again return this year to the event after being sidelined in the 2013 tournament for an injury. The NBA Hall of Famer and gallery favorite served as the non-official tournament ambassador. This year he returns to snag the dubious honors as worst player, which was awarded in 2013 to Larry the Cable Guy. 

Among active NBA players to return to the tournament is Golden State Warriors All Star sharp-shooter Stephen Curry who set the NBA record in the 2013 season for three-pointers made in a regular season with 272 made three pointers. This season, Curry made his first All-Star appearance after he was voted by the fans as a starter for the Western Conference.  He finished the season averaging 24.0 points and 8.5 assists; both career bests. Also a first for this season, Curry was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the first time.

Among the basketball lineup are NCAA and NBA coaches. New to the American Century Championship this year is Geno Auriemma, basketball coach for the University of Connecticut, who has led to the team to to nine NCAA Division I national championships, and has won six national Naismith College Coach of the Year awards. Auriemma was also the head coach of the United States women's national basketball team from 2009 to 2012, winning the 2010 World Championship, and the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Former NBA Head Coach Vinny Del Negro returns to the American Century Championship. He was the head coach of the NBA's Chicago Bulls from 2008 until 2010, and the Los Angeles Clippers from 2010 to 2013. Del Negro is currently an analyst with NBA TV.

Finally, Digger Phelps, the straight-shooting former college basketball coach for Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team and since 1993 the analyst for ESPN and American Century Championship regular will return again this year. In spring 2014, Phelps announced that after 20 years with ESPN he is retiring. 

The 25th annual American Century Championship, July 15-20, 2014, is the premier celebrity golf tournament that airs on NBC Sports. American Century Investments is the title sponsor of the tournament.

What basketball greats are you looking forward to seeing?

Enter now for a chance to play golf with a celebrity at 25th American Century Championship

With the 25th American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe South around the corner, you can now enter for a chance to play a round with a celebrity at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course as part of the July 15-20 silver anniversary festivities.

Winners will be picked July 1 by Edgwood Tahoe. The grand prize winner will receive two player spots in the Tuesday Celeb-Am on July 15, a player gift bag for both players and accommodations at a South Lake Tahoe casino property, Monday, July 14 and Tuesday, July 15.

2013 Winner Les Richardson with Actor Brian Baumgartner.

Five first place prizes will be awarded week long passes to the 2014 American Century Celebrity Golf Championship. Ten second place prizes will include a one-day pass to the celebrity golf tournament.

Fill out the form online for your chance to win, but remember one entry per person. Deadline to enter is midnight June 30, 2014. 

Where else but the American Century Championship could you have a chance to play with celebrities like Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall and Kevin Nealon or sports legends such as Steve Young, John Elway, Bode Miller, Jason Kidd, Aaron Rodgers, Ozzie Smith, Roger Clemens and Ray Allen? Nowhere but the American Century Championship.

Celebrating 25 years as the No. 1 celebrity golf event in the USA, more than 80 sports legends and entertainment celebrities will tee it up at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in pursuit of the $125,000 winner’s share of the $600,000 purse.

Daily tickets are currently available. The American Century Championship is offering exclusive free admission to this year's tournament for all active duty, reserve and veteran U.S. military personnel.

Tickets are $15 each day for the Lake Tahoe Celebrity-Amateur on Tuesday, July 16; practice round on Wednesday, July 17; and the American Century Celebrity-Am on Thursday, July 18; and $25 for each tournament round, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Kids 10 and under receive free admission – limit two, when accompanied by a paying adult.

Discounted Daily Tickets will be available beginning June 1 at 127 Raley's, Bel Air or Nob Hill Foods locations throughout Northern California and Nevada. Tickets are $12 (regularly $15) for access Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and $22 (regularly $25) for Friday, Saturday and Sunday tournament action or $18 with a grocery purchase of $50 or more for up to four tickets. 

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

Charles Barkley's golf swing lacks in grace and decency but the gallery loves him for it

His golf swing has been described as an assault on trees and spectators. And that was after widely publicized lessons.  

Yet you have to admit that even with his bizarre method, which fully lacks in any sort of technique control, Charles Barkley is the hands-down favorite to watch among the gallery at the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe.

Barkley's one handed swing always draws a crowd. 

“There are worse things to suck at in life than golf,” Barkley once quipped. 

Wise words for a man, with a resume that includes NBA Hall of Famer, TNT basketball analyst, weight loss pitchman, SNL host, Hank Haney poster child, humanitarian, wildly popular every man and political commentator.

But good golfer he is not. Not even close. And Sir Charles will likely prove it again at the 24th American Century Championship July 16-21 at Edgewood Tahoe. 

He'll join an all-star list of players including Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Michael Phelps, 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.

Though his swing may resemble a helicopter going down, Sir Charles, an elder statesman of the American Century Championship, annually attracts some of the largest fan galleries. 

The Pied Piper of personality is one of the most ingratiating celebrities every year. He talks with the gallery, offers philosophical insights and frank opinions, takes pictures with kids, signs autographs and talks to the media all while bemoaning errant shots.

Often the last place finisher at the tournament over the years, Barkley outperformed Javier Colon and Brandi Chastain at the 2012 tournament. He is listed at 500-1 in the Harrah’s Tahoe Sports Book.

Sir Charles has managed to turn shaky golf into a comedic art form and does it with a heart of gold. Behind the scenes, Barkley has become an ambassador for Tahoe South, helping aid victims of the 2007 Angora Fire with $190,000 in donations and treating 100 firefighters and their families to dinner.

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. 

Daily passes are $15 for the Lake Tahoe Celebrity-Amateur on Tuesday, July 16; practice round on Wednesday, July 17; and the American Century Celebrity-Amateur on Thursday, July 18; and $25 for each tournament round, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A Patron Badge Season Pass, good for admission all six days, are $60. Kids 10 and under are free when accompanied with a paid adult. 

Edgewood Tahoe: Challenging golfers, sports stars and celebrities since 1968

Besides being the home of the American Century Championship, Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course is set along the shore of Tahoe and is considered one of the most breathtaking courses in the country if not the world. 

Breathtaking sunsets is just an added bonus of playing this pristine course.  Photo: Rod Hanna.

Designed by George Fazio and opened in 1968, Edgewood is rated by Golf Digest Magazine as one of "America's Top Golf Courses." 

Throughout its history, Edgewood Tahoe has played host to a variety of major golf events including the 55th annual US Public Links Championship, the first USGA event to be held in Nevada and the U.S. Senior Open in 1985, which was the first televised Senior Open.

Most notably, for the last 23 years Edgewood Tahoe has been the home of the American CenturyCelebrity Golf Championship. Each year, this star-studded event features some of the biggest names in sports, entertainment and politics. This tournament regularly features big names such as Michael Jordan, John Elway, Aaron Rodgers  Charles Barkley, Joe Sakic, Tony Romo, Oscar De La Hoya, Jim McMahon and Ray Romano. 

Sponsored by American Century Investments and featured on NBC and NBC Sports annually, the Celebrity Golf Championship is an event for the entire family. This year’s Championship will be held July 16-21, 2013.

Challenging yet fair, the course offers a choice of four sets of tees, ranging in length from 5,567 to 7,555 yards, providing a suitable test for golfers of all skill levels. Take a virtual tour of the course here.

Edgewood Tahoe also offers to fine dining at EdgewoodRestaurant and its celebrated 19th hole Brooks Bar &Deck.

Future plans include construction of the Edgewood TahoeLodge, an exceptional, LEED-designed hotel to be built adjacent to the golf course. As planned, the Lodge will serve as a catalyst for South Shore's reinvention while delivering tremendous water quality benefits for a 4,200 acre watershed. The world-class Lodge will include 194 hotel rooms, health spa, a bistro style restaurant and will bring improvements to the golf course and club house.