March 25, 2008
WORLD GOLF.COM
LAKE TAHOE, Nev. -- The greatest players and biggest names in sports and entertainment will take center stage at the 19th American Century Championship, celebrity golf’s most popular tournament at Edgewood Tahoe, July 8-13.
This year’s field of 78 starts is the brightest in the 19-year history of golf’s grandest celebrity gathering, including Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Tony Romo, Dennis Miller, Ray Romano, Mario Lemieux, Dan Marino, LaDainian Tomlinson, John Elway, and Jerry Rice.
First timers include NASCAR superstar Dale Jarrett, actor Aidan Quinn, skateboarding icon and babe magnet Ryan Sheckler, sports announcer Joe Buck, baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, and eight-time national sports writer-of-the-year Rick Reilly.
South Shore Lake Tahoe will be the hangout for celebrity sightings, parties and superstar entertainment throughout the week. The increased participation of entertainment luminaries and hot, new personalities and athletes has tournament buzz starting early.
Tickets are available daily at the gate. Prices are $15 each day for the Lake Tahoe Celebrity-Amateur on Tuesday, July 8, the practice round on Wednesday, July 9, and for the American Century Celebrity-Am on Thursday, July 10, and $25 for each tournament round, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A Season Pass for $60 provides admission for all six days of the event. Advance ticket purchases prior to June 15 receive a $5 discount. Kids 10 and under are free with a paid adult. For tournament tickets, information and lodging packages, visit: www.BlueLakeTahoe.com.
NBC Sports will televise the second and final rounds of the tournament live on Saturday, July 12 from
1-3 pm PT/ 4-6 pm ET and Sunday, July 13 from 12-3 pm PT/ 3-6 pm ET, with Friday’s opening round on ESPN2, 4-6 pm PT/ 7-9pm ET.
The American Century Championship will award $600,000 in prize money with $125,000 to the winner. 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. Defending champion Chris Chandler will likely see his stiffest competition from six-time winner Rick Rhoden, four-time winner Dan Quinn and past champions Jack Wagner, Billy Joe Tolliver, Mario Lemieux, Al Del Greco and Mark Rypien.
The increased visibility of celebrities from the arts and entertainment fields includes actors Dennis Quaid, Billy Crudup of Big Fish and Almost Famous; Brian Baumgartner of The Office; Jack Wagner, soap star heart-throb and 2006 champion; Chris McDonald of Happy Gilmore; Bruce McGill, a leading character actor in numerous films, and the aforementioned Quinn. And the comedic ranks joining the fun include Ray Romano, Kevin Nealon, John O’Hurley (also of Dancing With The Stars and Seinfeld fame), and Anthony Anderson.
The National Football League has piled-on the superstars with Tony Romo, LaDainian Tomlinson, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Carson Palmer, and Ronde Barber. Current and future Hall of Famers include John Elway, Marcus Allen, Dan Marino, Jerry Rice, Marshall Faulk, and Tim Brown.
Basketball will be represented by legends Jordan and Barkley as well as Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics, Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks, Jason Kapono of the Toronto Raptors, and Wally Szczerbiak of the Seattle Supersonics.
Hockey checks in with Mario Lemieux, Brett Hull, Jeremy Roenick, Joe Sakic, Grant Fuhr, and 1980 Olympic Gold Medal winner and team captain Mike Eruzione.
Other arenas include politics with former Vice President Dan Quayle, sports television with broadcasters Joe Buck and Digger Phelps, and the news side with Stone Phillips, and Joe Kernan of CNBC.
NFL coaches include Mike Shanahan, Herman Edwards, Dick Jauron and Jim Mora, while the college ranks feature Tommy Tuberville of Auburn, Steve Spurrier of South Carolina and Lou Holtz formerly of Notre Dame.
Baseball has two Hall of Famers: Ozzie Smith making his first appearance, and Mike Schmidt, along with Paul O’Neill, Bret Saberhagen, Vince Coleman, and Darryl Strawberry, the former Mets and Yankees star also making his first Tahoe stop.
The event is sponsored by American Century Investments, a premier investment manager serving financial intermediaries, institutions and individual investors.
For the third consecutive year, Lance Armstrong will collaborate with American Century making the Lance Armstrong Foundation a main beneficiary of this year’s tournament. In 2006, the investment firm introduced a new series of asset allocation funds under the LIVESTRONG Portfolios banner. Since its inception in 1990, Tahoe’s celebrity golf tournament has raised over $3 million for a variety of charities.
CONTACT:
Steve Griffith
Vizion Group
484/433-7757 (East Coast)
Phil Weidinger
Weidinger Public Relations
775/588-2412 (West Coast)