American Century Championship

Friday, July 8, 2022

Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA

Edgewood Tahoe

 

Mike Modano

Quick Quotes

 

Q. Walk me through your round, 18 points. Kind of up-and-down front nine, turned it around on the back.

MIKE MODANO: The front was coming in a little up-and-down, like you said. And made a few putts. Had a good eagle on 14, a good look at 13 for on eagle. And made a few putts and got it going a little bit on the back. Held it together.

Q. What point was the calming of the nerves point for you today?

MIKE MODANO: It doesn’t take too long. I think it’s after the second hole. It’s the first four swings. Getting in your groove and you get in that zone and block everything out that’s going on. So it’s good.

Q. Tell me what it’s like to be back here at Tahoe with if atmosphere, with the fans back in full force, tell me a little bit about that.

MIKE MODANO: It’s great. A lot going on in this world. And people fought through it, and the last two, three years a lot going on. We appreciate them coming out. It’s a lot. It says a lot about just the fight in our country and so we battled through a lot. Good to see them all.

Q. You’ve got the whole family here. You get to work anything on the game or have family time this afternoon?

MIKE MODANO: Might be do fishing and hanging out. It will be good for me to get away from the game.

American Century Championship

Friday, July 8, 2022

Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA

Edgewood Tahoe

 

Adam Thielen

Quick Quotes

 

Q. 18 points in the first round. And it looked a little psychotic on your scorecard. I think you had five bogeys, two doubles and five birdies; is that right?

ADAM THIELEN: Sounds about right. Sounds like my golf game. A little psychotic is a great way to describe my golf game. It’s the consistency. I feel like I can hang with anybody, but consistency was rough today.

Q. Starting off with, what, a double on the first?

ADAM THIELEN: Doubled 1 and 10.

Q. But came back pretty good with five birdies. You’re in the hunt on this thing. What’s it like for you? You have football camp in a couple weeks and out in Tahoe having fun with the boys, what’s it like?

ADAM THIELEN: Just enjoying it. I get to do my training in the morning, and I get to go out there, play golf, enjoy the lake. We went surfing today. Today probably hang by the pool. It’s a great breakup right before camp to be able to just spend time with my wife and to relax, play a lot of golf, which in about two weeks I won’t touch the clubs for six months. So it’s good.

Q. When you look at your chances out here, what do you realistically think?

ADAM THIELEN: I feel good about them. Obviously today probably wasn’t the best start. But it was a score that can keep me in contention, I guess. But I think if I just go out there, play like I did today and limit a couple of errors, I’ll be fine.

American Century Championship

Friday, July 8, 2022

Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA

Edgewood Tahoe

Jon Miller

Jonathan Thomas

Carol Chaplin

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: I’d like to introduce Mr. Jon Miller, President for Programming, NBC Sports Group; Jonathan Thomas, President and CEO of American Century Investments; and Carol Chaplin, President and CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority.

Next year will be the 25th anniversary of American Century’s involvement as the title sponsor of this event. And that’s one of the things we want to talk about today, looking forward.

We want to take a look back, to trace the history on this. I’ll start off with Jon Miller. You’ve been around since day one. You were the one that got this whole thing going. Give us that view from 25 years ago.

JON MILLER: Obviously having someone like American Century as a partner — we at NBC, we like to think of partner as a verb not a noun because they act like a partner. It’s great.

But the history of the event is, it was not always as smooth as it’s been the past 25 years. We launched this event in the summer of 1990, right after Major League Baseball took their ball and went someplace else.

And so we were left with a pretty bare cupboard for 30 weeks of the summer and fall. And I had new boss, Dick Ebersol, a visionary in the entertainment world, but he came over to run NBC Sports. He brought me into his office shortly after he joined and he said, Jon, we have 30 weeks of programming to fill, and you’re the new head of programming here and I just started here, I’m going to look to you to fill those weeks, but by the way, you don’t have any money to spend, which is always a nice thing to have when you’re the programming guy.

We tried a bunch of different things. One of the things we did is we went to a sports marketing firm we had done a lot of business with called SMTI. I think a lot of you remember Mike Trager, the late Mike Letis, who were wonderful partners of ours getting this started, and a man named Jim Karvellas, the announcer for the New York Knicks, had relationships with several players in the NBA.

We came together and created this event. Jim knew Michael Jordan, and I knew an agent who was representing John Elway and Dan Marino. We figured if we could get those three guys here for the first year, we might have a pretty decent chance of putting something together.

We did. That first year here, in July of 1990, I had come out in December of ’89 to visit. It was a dreary, cold day, snow every place. And we were over at Caesar’s Tahoe having lunch. And they said, This is a beautiful place in the summer but you’re going to have to trust us.

We decided that the weather looked great. The people seemed perfect, and we decided to come here in that summer. And then we had a great event. We had 48 players. I think we had maybe 3,000 to 3500 spectators total for the week.

And it was a nice event. We lost a lot of money on that first year. And when I went home that week, after Mark Rypien had won the event, my boss said to me, Well, that was nice. Now what are you going to do next year to replace it? I said, Will you give me another year? He said, No, you lost way too much money.

I said, If we can figure out a way to at least stay break even, can we give it a second year?

We had a sponsor come in who helped us for five or six years in Isuzu, for those who remember the Isuzu Celebrity Golf Championship. Isuzu’s direction changed. And we were fortunate, in 1999, to find American Century, which was this great company out of Kansas City who really had vision and passion and was great to work with us.

They came in with us on a trial basis in 1999. It was an incredibly successful experience on both sides. And next year we’ll celebrate our 25th anniversary. So do I buy you silver or gold? I’m not quite familiar.

JONATHAN THOMAS: I believe it’s the diamond year.

JON MILLER: I didn’t realize. I thought 25 was silver. But anyhow —

CAROL CHAPLIN: Take all three.

JON MILLER: Here we are, 25 years later, and we have what I think is the most impressive and remarkable partnership in the sports title sponsorship space, to have the kind of working relationship we have, directly.

We don’t go through outside agencies. We deal with each other directly and honestly and frequently. And those are the things that make it work.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t point out Gary Quinn, who is sitting over there, who does all the hard work and lets me get up here and take some bows.

But there’s a team of people that have been working on this: Mike Milthorpe, our tournament director, who has been at this tournament day one, started off as a rules official, became tournament director in year two.

It’s been terrific. And we’re excited that we’re here, and we hope to be here for a long, long time. We hope to be together with American Century for a long, long time.

Q. Jonathan, you’ve been involved with this tournament for the last 17 years. I have to think you’ve seen a few changes just in that time. Would you like to go over a few of those and share some of your memories there?

JONATHAN THOMAS: Be glad to do that. To start off, talking about Jon, Gary, Carol, a little bit, rarely do you find somebody of Jon’s and Gary’s quality, that has both the imagination that they had to envision this and create the magic, as well as the ability to execute.

And they do both. And yesterday, it really struck me. I was visiting a vineyard recently, and the vineyard, the winemaker was telling me that the best fertilizer for our vines are the owner’s footsteps walking the rows every day.

And sure enough, here’s Jon, after doing this for 30 some odd years, 25 with us, he’s walking the course still to this day, finding things that can be improved. Yesterday he found a great opportunity as well. And making it better every year. And he and Gary execute in a way that is just unbelievable to see.

And Carol, I want to point out, during the pandemic, she was an amazing advocate for the LTVA, reaching out to me, writing letters, calling, to make sure that we’d make the most of this. Push forward and continue to bring the tournament to this town and do what we do.

And, yes, over my last 17 years here, this turned out to be an amazing platform to tell our story. In some ways, it’s become so successful — we’re a very large, global asset manager.

But it’s got to the point now, as I travel around the country, people see my American Century shirt and they say to me, Oh, you do the golf tournament. That’s one week a year.

51 other weeks. And even this week we’re working hard to manage your money for you. But the branding platform has been amazing. It’s just really been a springboard for us.

And we’ve been using it also to tell our story. This is probably the most unique golf tournament in the country. We call it the Super Bowl of Celebrity Golf. And our company is the most unique asset manager in the country as well.

Obviously we help individuals achieve their financial objectives, college savings, retirement, whatever. But on top of that, we direct over 40 percent of our profits each and every year to medical research to find cures for cancer and other gene-based diseases.

Since I’ve been coming here, it’s about $1.9 billion that we’ve directed to that research. And everybody here participates in it. The fans, the volunteers, the celebrities.

I had somebody last night walk up to me, give me a $5,000 chip, one of the celebrities you invited, asked me to donate that as well.

It’s been an amazing platform. I don’t think the weather could be anywhere better than it is here in July.

Q. Carol, Jonathan just mentioned branding and whatnot. What has this event meant for Lake Tahoe, specifically, as far as long-term, every year we do this and it’s like what does it represent to the destination?

CAROL CHAPLIN: I want to start out and let you know that I’m the baby here. I’ve only been with the tournament, with the LTVA 15 years. So as you can tell I’m just so young and vibrant.

But what’s already been said is really something I want to touch on, but to answer your question, of course we are in the business of creating awareness for visitors and bringing them here, overnight stays, and helping our economy.

And there isn’t a bigger event that we do. There’s never been an event that we’ve done that is as impactful as American Century Championship.

We talked about the platform. It is a platform for us to talk to our visitors about what’s important to us. And right now we have a new brand. Visit Lake Tahoe. And we also are starting down that sustainability road now to help our lake and help our environment and our residents reach the quality of life and the quality of environment that’s so important to us.

So we get to tell that story, along with American Century story, about the destination and what it offers. And I would say that this tournament actually really says our brand line now is Awe and then Some. And the tournament is everything Awe and then Some. It’s fun. It’s serious golf.

It’s your favorite celebrity out there. Whether they’re really good or whether they’re just passionate and hopeful. And along with Edgewood Golf Course, a great partner of ours, we couldn’t ask for anything more than Awe and then Some, American Century Championship.

Q. As far as maybe a top two or three memories, Jon, when you think of this event, I know it’s a tough question over all these years, but what are things that jump out at you when you look back on the event?

JON MILLER: The thing that strikes me is how much it’s grown. I went on the first tee this morning to watch Charles tee off with The Miz and Anthony Anderson. And I remember how people used to ridicule Charles’ golf swing, which has gotten much better, for those who haven’t had a chance to see it.

I looked at how the fairways were lined all the way down and realized we’re getting more people at this event than most professional golf tournaments get.

And with the exception of the majors, we are right up there in terms of the acceptance and the awareness and the excitement around it.

I look at that. I think about some of the people who have won this. I think about Vinny Del Negro last year winning, coming out of nowhere. The week his father passed away. Didn’t tell anybody. And puts on a remarkable show to win the event. And it was emotional.

We were in the truck crying. We have all kinds of opportunities to cry in the truck, but that was really an incredibly emotional moment to see that happen.

When Jack Wagner won for the first time after coming so close for many, many years. And after he battled some personal demons to be able to come out on top, and credit Gary and I for helping him make some changes in his life, which we were happy to do and see that thing happen. And just overall the way you’ve made friends.

What happens with these 87 players who play here, and even the players who have played who are not back, they all become part of a family. They all become part of this American Century family.

And there are two things that are happening here this week that are really pretty remarkable for me to see. One is Jim McMahon, who has a really serious injury to his foot, but he’s insisting on playing regardless because he doesn’t want to miss a beat. He’s been playing for all 33 years.

We’ve told him, you can get an injury exemption. He said, No, no, I’m gutting it out. That’s how he was as a professional quarterback. And that’s how he is here as a golfer.

And obviously, the other thing, as all of you know, Jack Wagner, who has been here all 33 years suffered an incredible personal tragedy just a little over a month ago. And we all feel for him. So those are the things.

Q. You mentioned family the other night at the players meeting. It really shows throughout the week. People that have been here, that haven’t been here before, media cover it, they look at it, it’s totally different than other events. Jonathan, when you look back and think of some of the more memorable things over the last 17 years for you and for American Century Investments, what would you say is up there?

JONATHAN THOMAS: Well, I’d have to start off with my first time here, in 2005. I could not believe how beautiful this place is and the chemistry that Jon and Gary have created. They know these celebrities at an intimate level. They handpick them and they brought together an amazing field of people.

I joined American Century in large part because of its philanthropic side, but the golf tournament really wasn’t even in my consideration set. But seeing that as an asset for us to work with was really neat.

The next memory that comes to mind was maybe a few years after that. Tony Romo comes up to me, he said, Do you watch football? I said, Yeah. He said, Well, at the end of the season, when we’re out there, talking, the teams come out to the field and talk to each other, do you know what we’re talking about? I said, I have no idea, tell me.

He goes, They ask the other guys if they got the invitation to the Tahoe tournament, the American Century Championship yet.

I said, Are you kidding? No, that’s what we talk about; we’ll see you in July.

That was pretty neat. And then I guess two other things. It’s really evolved. Jon talks about how it’s grown. It’s grown in size, but it’s grown in depth as well. And we just keep focusing what I’ll call throughput, putting more people through here, doing more while they’re here.

Last night, we just had a celebrity karaoke event out on the lawn of Edgewood, which was just an epic evening for everybody. That’s why my voice is a little hoarse.

JON MILLER: Were you up there singing?

JONATHAN THOMAS: Yeah, it was after everybody left. You can’t skip over what Jon mentioned. Vinny winning last year, powering through. He learned about his father, I think, on Tuesday or Wednesday. Decided he wanted to play anyway.

And just powered through. Dedicated the tournament to his father. And came off with just a historic win. And I’d say those are some of my best memories.

Q. I can tell you as a local, one of the things we remember — I know you’re being modest about it — was how you stepped up and led the charge in 2020, when we had the COVID situation and kept this tournament going. And everybody here remembers that. Carol, what would you like to share with us?

CAROL CHAPLIN: You just stole my thunder. Actually, as you all remember, we were all hunkered down in our houses and wondering if you could go to the grocery store, how close you could get to somebody.

My favorite memory is probably the Friday afternoon, 2:00 p.m. calls from a guy named Gary Quinn.

And it got to be — I’d look down on my phone and going, oh, my gosh, is it a go? Is it a no-go? And we would talk. I don’t know how many weeks we talked.

But American Century and NBC worked really hard, really hard to figure this out. And of course it was so important to get it right. And we had to get it right for the world, actually. And to be able to show people that you can still go on. And it was really about hope that year that we could do something like that.

Anyway, so that’s really a big memory. But from a general standpoint, every year is different. Every year has its moments — karaoke this night, the basketball on 17, whoever it is that’s doing something. I mean, just the chemistry changes with the players. The passion never changes.

Q. Jon, watching you kind of get choked up talking about Jack, if I may, I think there might be another memory you may have missed — how much these people have become your family.

JON MILLER: It’s true. They are my family. And we’re very close. And anytime anybody goes through anything tough, it’s amazing how much people reach out to one another. That’s one of the things that I enjoy the most is seeing how everybody has been supportive of all of us and each other. And I think that’s one of the things that makes it pretty special.

Q. Could you share a little bit what the current contract is and where any talks are, if there need to be any at this stage?

JON MILLER: We have a deal that goes through 2024. We are very happy. Our hope is that we find a way to extend this for as long as we possibly can. We’ll sit down. We have dialogue all the time. There’s nothing that is imminent or anything like that. But we’re very excited.

JONATHAN THOMAS: Mutual feeling. I think you can sense the importance of this tournament for us. But I will tell you, if we didn’t have — it happened before I got involved — but disintermediating the folks that would normally sit between American Century and NBC has built a bond that I think is incredibly unique in this industry. And I think it’s one of the important factors that has allowed this to go forward as long as it has. And we look forward to working with Jon and Gary and trying to continue this in the future.

Q. It’s really hard to imagine this thing being anything but the American Century Championship.

JON MILLER: That’s exactly right.

Q. Jon, could you have imagined — I think you touched on it a little bit — could you have imagined 33 years ago that it would be what it is today?

JON MILLER: We get all kinds of credit and everybody is, I can’t believe what you’ve built. We did this — it was going to be a one-and-done. We came and we had a great time. We didn’t really have anything else to go in that second week in July. So I said can we get it for a second year. And we did.

And it’s just continued to grow. And I think what’s great about it is that we continue to innovate and work together.

One of the things that I’m especially proud of that I share with friends is that a lot of people who start their careers at NBC will start off as an intern, working for me as an intern.

And one of the responsibilities that we have for our first and second quarter interns is that they work on the tournament. They work on the invitations. They work on coordination. They work on the list. And as kind of a reward they get to come out here and work the event.

Well, we now have, our entire staff is basically made up of my former interns, including Gary, who was an intern of mine, who have gone on to bigger and better things, because clearly they had great skills and great talent. But they will take a week of vacation from their jobs and will all come back here and work the event.

So the gentleman who works the range here is the head of global sales for Adidas North America. But he was an intern for mine and he comes back and works the event. And we have other guys who have got very senior jobs at other places, but they all want to come back here and be a part of this.

To me that validates just how great this is and how wonderful it is that we all work together like that.

Q. Do you want to talk about the charities and the nonprofit? That’s been a major component.

CAROL CHAPLIN: In addition to what American Century does at their global level, every year — the tournament doesn’t go away. In the fall, we’re usually very fortunate to get additional funding through American Century and NBC’s efforts on our behalf.

And we have as many as 30, 40 nonprofits in this area that benefit from that money. And it’s fun to go — it’s really a highlight for the committee to sit down and go through some of these applications and understand on our community level how important this funding is.

And so it’s been, I don’t know how many millions of dollars, 80 charities or something like that, locally that have benefited.

And we get to learn about their organization, learn what they do for the community, learn what their struggles and their challenges are and also solve some of their problems. And it’s just really a sweet moment after the tournament’s done and we’re just like going, now what do we do?

We get to do that. And so that’s another benefit. And there’s so many ways that the community is involved in this tournament on so many levels. You can poke your head all away around this golf course now, all the way into September when we give this money away.

There’s just so much. There’s so many tentacles and ways that we benefit from the tournament — not to mention having people here, 60,000 people, for the week, and all of the volunteers who actually — they come here every year at their own expense, really, and they have to come back as well. So we kind of got ’em.

Q. Jon, on Monday, you’ll start your 25th year with ACI. Do you know of any partnerships — in an era where stadiums change their names every three, four, five years — are there any partnerships out there that have lasted that long?

JON MILLER: There are a few events. There’s nothing that’s a made-for-TV event that has anywhere near the longevity that this event has, along with their title sponsor partnership. But there are some events that have a long history together.

But I don’t think that there’s anyone that equals this one. I suppose if we looked we might find maybe a PGA TOUR event that’s out there, or another tennis tournament that may have been out there. But there’s nothing that comes close to what this is.

And I think, to echo what Carol says about the charities, and obviously what Jonathan and American Century do with the Stowers Institute and how much of their profits they donate every year, I think that’s one of the great things that a golf tournament can do, besides be entertaining, besides having a sponsorship element, stuff like that, the fact that it can give back to a community.

And that’s quite honestly a blueprint we learned from the PGA TOUR. The PGA TOUR does an amazing job with how they give back to local and national charities. We use that blueprint here as well because we think that’s one of the ways to ensure success.

Q. I know Jim Stowers started your company. I don’t know if we’re related. But Stowers do have a wide history. My grandfather, great-grandfather, Adam Stowers in Texas, Grimes County, Texas, started the first school for Blacks in Grimes County. My question basically is my mother died from breast cancer. So what is your company specifically doing in the areas of breast cancer?

JONATHAN THOMAS: So, Jim Stowers was our founder. Set the company up in 1958. He and his wife were afflicted with cancer in the late ’90s. And they did something then that nobody does, almost nobody does while they were alive. They gave away almost the entirety of their fortune. It was about $2 billion.

And what they did is they took a few hundred million dollars and built a world-class, high-tech technology center for the science to take place. Then they took their ownership in American Century and gave it to that institute. So they actually are a partial owner of us.

Within that institute, there are 19 what we call principles investigators. And we study everything from Alzheimer’s to cancer to diabetes to obesity to regeneration, regenerating organs and limbs and all these sorts of things.

And in the cancer space specifically, we work more at a molecular level. We’re looking for triggers and a lot of discovery to find out how all different forms of cancer can be prevented.

Just to get deep for a second, there’s a pathway that cancer travels through. And it goes through this pathway. And the last gate it has to pass before it can take over another cell is called the ERK pathway.

We’re right now developing what’s called an ERK inhibitor. The concept is that as the cancer moves through this pathway, that door is going to close on it. And it’s going to prevent the cancer from metastasizing into that particular cell and then eventually that organ.

And that’s not limited to just breast cancer. That’s limited to all sorts of different types of cancers.

But that has lots of broad-based applicability. And we also have other things we were taking reengineered — we cal it synove [phonetic]. It’s actually an engineered form of gangrene that we take and we modify it, of course. We can inject it into a tumor cell. And tumors are generally hypoxic, which means there’s no oxygen in them. And these cells that we inject will actually consume the tumor from the inside/out.

And then what happens, when the synove reaches the outer membrane of the cancer cell, where it’s an environment with oxygen, it automatically shuts off. So what you do is we’re killing the cancer from the inside out.

And that’s really important because when you think about how traditional cancer therapy works is you blast it with radiation. And you’re actually killing it from the outside in. And you’ve got to blast the whole thing away.

This technology that we’re working on goes to the middle of it. It actually consumes the tumor, and the only thing left then is the outer casing, and you use the radiation to deal with that.

Q. (Banter on the weather)

JONATHAN THOMAS: I’ve been here 17 years, I can only remember one day for the entire week, maybe seven or eight years ago, where we had rain. In fact, we don’t even have a plan B, which at first seemed really crazy to me. But for most of these events we don’t have a plan B.

Q. As you look forward to the 25th anniversary, any particular plans that might be coming up?

JON MILLER: There are a lot of plans that we’re looking at. Obviously we’re going to celebrate. It’s a big milestone, something we’re all excited and proud of.

But one of the things we’re working on that we’ll share here, that we’ve been talking about is one of the things that makes this event so great is the volunteers.

And we think that we’re going to find a way to recognize those volunteers who have been here 25 years or longer, with a special kind of lanyard that they’ll wear while they’re out working their hole or working the course, because we think it’s important that people who are playing in the event, people who are attending the event know that these people have been here for 25 years and they’re what make this event really run. So anything we can do to recognize that group, we’re happy to do.

American Century Championship

Thursday, July 7, 2022

Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA

Edgewood Tahoe

Tony Romo

Press Conference

 

Q. Tell us how excited you are to be back here in Lake Tahoe. And how is your golf game?

TONY ROMO: I’m excited. This is one of my favorite weeks of the year, my family’s as well. We come out, I’ve got my three boys, and my wife and my in-laws. We do that every year. It doesn’t get much better coming here, on the lake, having a great time with a lot of great people.

It’s going to be a great week, regardless. Obviously it’s more fun if you win. But trying to play good golf. I’ve been playing pretty well lately. And hopefully that will continue.

Q. What parts of your game have you been working on coming into this week?

TONY ROMO: Over the years, I think I’ve finally learned that there’s a few shots that are important, I guess you could say. Stuff that comes up a lot that really gives you an advantage. Like the tee ball on 18. I haven’t consistently hit that fairway.

And I’ve worked hard on drawing the golf ball on that hole. And with the tree on the left, so that shot is something that is more like you’re practicing a shot. So I’d say it’s more situational coming in this year; whereas, in the past it’s like you might be trying to hit the ball solid, you’re hitting it more solid or something, but I feel confident in that area.

And then some of the wedge game work, like on hole 2, hit a drive up there, and you could be anywhere from 20 yards to 70 yards, depending upon the wind. You’re into the grain upslope, but you’re in a very advantageous situation because you’re close to the hole. I’ve worked on the “uphill into the grain” pitch, short wedge game. So those are the shots that I haven’t really taken advantage of over the years. Because if you drive it well on nine, I might have a 9-iron in or a wedge or something short instead of punching out of the trees or trying to make a 5. So stuff like that.

Q. The field this year, where we’re positioned, it’s probably the strongest field in the tournament’s history. You’ve got you, Mardy Fish, John Smoltz, Mark Mulder. Talk about not only your preparation on the golf course, but the mental preparation coming into this week.

TONY ROMO: I feel like every three to five years the field just gets deeper. I think you’re finding there’s more players who have the ability to compete and win.

And putting is such a huge deal in every golf tournament, especially here, just because the slopes are subtle and it’s tough to get the reads right consistently.

But if you do put the ball in certain spots, you have the ability to read it correctly. And I think that’s another thing you learn. And for me, it’s just you’re going out there and you’re going to just, each shot, the next shot, it’s cliché, but it’s kind of what you do here.

You’ve got to hit your wedges close and you’ve got to putt the ball well. You’ve got to lag putt well because you can’t just give away — because the greens are fast and they do a great job.

Edgewood, the staff here, it’s incredible. The course is in great condition. It has been for years now. And the greens are immaculate. And give them a lot of credit, because that makes it even more special when you’re out here.

But back to the depth of the field, a lot of guys can win. A lot of guys are really players who can go out there and shoot 70, 69. And you didn’t have that many guys before.

Q. Did you use like spray-on 5:00 shadow this morning?

TONY ROMO: Yeah, I did. It’s called “Spray-on 5:00 Shadow” for you guys who want to use it. I got some for you, Dan, if you need it. (Laughter) Don’t knock sunscreen, you’re going to say you should have done it.

Q. Asking a lot of guys about Charles finishing in the top 70. Do you think he can do that this year?

TONY ROMO: You know, I would have said no two weeks ago, but we were in Dallas together and we went out and hit on the range. And we were just talking golf. And I love Charles. He’s one of the best guys anywhere.

He’s so generous and giving. He’s got such a big heart. But he hit the ball really well. And he improved a lot last year, I thought. But now his ability to actually turn the ball over and hit a two-yard draw and get it to tumble.

And his sequencing, it’s just different. Everyone knows about the hitch. But he really has changed his game in the sequence. I know he got a lot of help from Stan Utley, and that helped. And it was genius, some of the stuff he was telling me. But he looked great. I would bet on him to finish in the top 70.

Q. Is there a Fish/Romo rivalry right now?

TONY ROMO: My kids think so. Like today, my sons were out here. We’re walking by — I think we were going to the 10th hole, which was No. 1 today. And Mardy was on 10. We’re walking by, saying hi. My oldest, guys, say hi to Mardy. He’s, like, “Mardy Fish,” he was like, [grunting].

I was, like, “We like Mardy every day of the year except for these three days.” But the reason is because he’s good. And Mardy has a pure golf swing. And technically he does stuff at an incredibly high level. You could put him out on the PGA TOUR and he would fit right in. His golf swing is great. He’s an even better guy. I really like Mardy. He’s a good friend.

Q. Of the top five finishers last year, you were the only one that improved his score every round. The last round for the other four were horrible. But John and Vinny managed to get three points better than you from your previous scores. What was the difference, do you think, in your mind for your game on Sunday that maybe even Annika, everybody else really fell off?

TONY ROMO: Well, the course was playing tough. And always on Sunday it could be — for Vinny to do what he did last year, you’ve got to give him credit. He played amazing golf. What a great story. Just after the round, I didn’t know about his dad.

As a dad, with three kids, that was pretty cool. It was, like, you’re going to — that’s just one of those moments where you’re happy for him because I know that’s such a big deal. And life is short sometimes.

But I think just playing better each round is one thing. A tendency would be that, in some ways, because you’re almost learning yourself and what you’re doing poorly you put more time into what that is.

It’s like the more tournament play you have, the more data you get on where your weaknesses are, and then you can put the time in to go and actually improve those.

I feel like it’s not just from tournament to tournament, it’s round to round. You’re doing it hole to hole, nine to nine. But you get the pacing of the greens down a little bit more each day. You know which angles are tougher. You start to find what is creeping in that’s a negative or what the positives are that you can lean on.

So you start to, what I call the 100 percent rule, which is to trust something fully, and you start to get more committed. Some of that is also just luck.

Q. For those of us contemplating picking you in the press pool, especially my wife, what do you think you’re going to shoot this weekend?

TONY ROMO: It sounds like your wife is more onboard than you are with it.

Q. She always is, Tony.

TONY ROMO: Those wives, they’re smart, aren’t they?

I would say from a scoring perspective, I wouldn’t give a score, per se. But I do think that with the greens and the firmness and the ability to keep the speed up, if you shoot three rounds at 70 or lower, you’re going to probably win the golf tournament because it’s tough not to have one day where it’s a 74, 5, just because of the pacing, if you’re off something it can catch you. But you can also shoot one round really low.

I think the key is just to have that one low 65, 64, 66-type round that gives you the chance to breathe, I guess, and feel comfortable being aggressive to conservative spots.

And without that then you’re starting to attack stuff and get to spots that can catch you.

Q. Did you play on your high school golf team when you were in high school, and how long in your life have you played golf?

TONY ROMO: I played high school golf. But you know, when I was young, I never went to a range. Like, growing up, you would just play golf. Like, my boys can’t stand it, all right, guys, let’s go to the golf course. They’re excited, we’re going to go play. They get a Sprite, whatever. Then we get out there, okay, let’s go hit some balls. They go, “Why? Why are we going to a range to hit? Let’s go on the golf course.” Because, then you get to hit it good and be better when you’re out there. And they’re, like, “I am better. I want to go out there now.” And I’m, like, “you’re definitely not better. You’re still not great yet. But you’re great to me.”

But they just want to go play. And I was that way as a kid. And in high school, it was like I played but we had nine-hole matches back then. And it was so much fun.

One of my favorite times is just traveling with the team going from tournament to tournament, playing the matches. And when I look back now, I couldn’t imagine going up and just hitting driver off 1 without hitting a ball or warming up the back, activating. Oh, my gosh, to be young again. It’s a great time. High school golf. Enjoy it.

Q. There’s obviously Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes are here. It’s about six months ago they played that game that you called. And I’m just curious, what still sticks out to you like the lasting sort of feelings or impression you have that game and from the performance of Patrick and Josh Allen?

TONY ROMO: Just first, they’re great people. Number one, it’s so great — you look for people that you want your kids to kind of root for and look up to that you feel like do it the right way and they both do.

They’re so genuine. They’re so giving. And they’re both really hard-working. They love football. They put everything they have into it. And then you throw the talent in on top of it.

And I love watching people who commit everything to their craft. And then on top of it, you like them. They’re genuine. They’re people that I appreciate the way they go about the process. And that game just showed you the evolution, just the quarterback play, the ability to run.

The ability to scan the field, read it, have great instincts. Stand in the pocket. Throw under duress. Take a hit. Be tough. And then will your team. And then make it look easy because it’s not. And these guys, I mean, the depth at quarterback in the National Football League right now is really at one of the highest points ever.

From top to bottom, it’s like, wow, you’ve got almost 10 to 15 guys that you could start and say that’s a championship caliber quarterback. And I think that’s a lot in a season.

Q. You were mentioning like seeing things like maybe that hadn’t been done. Especially with Mahomes, how have you seen maybe things change with the quarterback position because of him?

TONY ROMO: Well, the league always evolves based on who’s winning. So when a team starts winning, like for years Seattle was so dominant on defense that everyone wants to hire those defensive coaches.

So they all go somewhere else. They put this system in. So then everyone started running the Seattle version of Cover 3.

And then what happened is the rules on offense had to change because you used to run these routes versus Cover 3. It’s like this route right here would always beat Cover 3, but now Seattle’s version of their Cover 3 swallows it up and they’re covered.

So once offenses started to say we’ve got to change this concept, then, all of a sudden the defenses started to get beat that were playing that defense. Then that started to slow down. And then you find that it’s a new evolution of defense. And now people are going to shell defense, which means two safeties high, instead of one safety, which Cover 3 means three guys deep, two corners are deep and the safety. There’s three of them. Shell, with two guys deep means you have two guys deep or four guys deep.

So that’s the evolution that takes place. Everything evolves. These quarterbacks are a big reason why these things evolve. The reason you’re having two shells, two safeties back there, because these guys are good and you need more help back there, because they’re going to go ahead and just slice right through if you don’t.

American Century Championship

Thursday, July 7, 2022

Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA

Edgewood Tahoe

Vinny Del Negro

Mardy Fish

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We’re joined by the last two championship winners.

Vinny, we know last year was extremely emotional for you. Great to have you back and defending your title. What do you think it’s going to take for you to repeat?

VINNY DEL NEGRO: Well, there’s so many tremendous players, like the guys have said. Obviously Mardy and Mark Mulder and Tony and Steph and obviously Annika. She’s always going to be in the mix somewhere, just how great she is. There’s a bunch of players.

The course is playing hard. It’s a little windier, the greens are tough. It’s the Stableford so you’re never really in control of the tournament, never really out of the tournament. But you’ve got to play solid golf, play smart and be a really good putter around here, hit the ball in good areas where you can be aggressive, trying to make some birdies.

But you have to be patient as well as times. And I think if you can do that, you give yourself a chance. But tremendous players. Great guys. We love the competition. It’s very competitive.

But it’s also just an incredible week with NBC and American Century and Edgewood and the fans and just the environment and the energy overall.

But the greenskeeper and their staff have done a fantastic job. I think over the last few years anyway I think the course has gotten more difficult. Not as much run-out in the fairways. Greens are a lot quicker. And the wind I think is going to have an impact on some of the shots you hit.

Q. Mardy, back in 2020, you won when there was no fans and about five media people. So this year looks a little bit different. Back then you broke the course record shooting 63 during your second round — 10 birdies, if I remember right. You can play in front of a crowd. We saw it down in Dallas, couple months ago when you and Tony got into a playoff on 18. How is your game and are you ready for this one this week?

MARDY FISH: I prefer the crowds. I just happened to win it that year, the COVID year. It was a weird year.

I’ll never forget that round, still the best round I’ve ever had in my life anywhere. So I’ve never made 10 birdies in one round.

So certainly great memories, great memories coming back here. And just kind of seeing everyone — Vinny and I see each other once a year and it’s here.

And you just make great friendships and relationships over the years, and with guys or folks you wouldn’t necessarily cross paths with.

I played tennis, so I would never have crossed paths with Canelo Álvarez in my entire life. Turns out we’re really good friends now. He lives in California and we play a lot of golf together.

It’s those types of relationships you make out here are really special. And the memories that you can make here with family and friends, it’s pretty special.

Q. Vinny, last year I think you went off at about 40 or 45 to 1. Look at where we are this year now.

VINNY DEL NEGRO: Don’t read all that stuff. We don’t want to look at that too much. Just play good golf, play solid, have fun. There’s so many good players. The environment is spectacular.

And when you have just guys like Steph Curry who I have so much respect for. I played with his father Dell in Milwaukee years ago. Great guy, great teammate. And seeing Steph, how great of a player he is, and it’s hard to say this, but he’s a better guy.

I mean, I’ve seen his work ethic. I’ve seen what he’s about. He’s as good as there is. He’s an incredible basketball player. But the way he handles the media, the charity work he does, the impact in the community, I have so much respect for guys that have that platform and use it. And I’m not sure anybody does it any better than Steph. Happy he’s here and competing. He loves golf. And he’s an excellent player.

Q. Mardy, right now you’re a co-favorite with Romo at 11-to-4.

MARDY FISH: What is that? Carry the two — (laughter).

VINNY DEL NEGRO: It means play well.

Q. That’s about two and a half to one. How is that? 3 to 1.

MARDY FISH: I didn’t finish my junior year of high school.

Q. The year you won 100,000 was the year we gave all the money to charity, too.

MARDY FISH: That’s OK. I’m fine with that. It’s all good.

Q. Do either of you have a you shekels on yourself at the book?

MARDY FISH: Not yet. I have a few buddies that have some shekels on there.

VINNY DEL NEGRO: Same as me.

MARDY FISH: We’ll see the matchups. I like to bet the matchups. There’s usually a couple in there we know some inside input on. Guys that will go out and party or not or injured or not.

Q. Mardy, your thoughts on Charles finishing in the top 70 this year?

MARDY FISH: I love Chuck. So I hope he does. I’m rooting for him. What’s the number on that?

Q. It opened at 5-to-1 and the betting has it down to 3-to-1. He’s got his fans betting.

MARDY FISH: I’ll throw 100 bucks on that. Yeah, why not?

VINNY DEL NEGRO: I think he’s playing better. I hope he does it. He loves golf, and it’s great for the tournament.

MARDY FISH: If he doesn’t we’ll make him buy us dinner.

VINNY DEL NEGRO: By the way, he’s buying dinner anyway. But Charles is very generous, great for the tournament, great with the fans. He’s been working on his golf game. And his swing looks better. But the range is one thing, and then getting out there and posting a score and putting the ball in the hole was a little bit different.

MARDY FISH: I’m going to go with yes.

VINNY DEL NEGRO: I am too. Absolutely.

Q. Is there a Fish/Romo rivalry going on right now?

MARDY FISH: Sure. I can’t stand that guy. (Laughter).

No, we were just texting last night. It would be fun to do the same thing we did in Dallas. We had a blast there. Kind of a home game for him, so it felt good to win that one. But he’s a phenomenal golfer. And he puts himself up against a lot of competition that most guys wouldn’t do, wouldn’t put themselves out there like that.

And he’s not shy about telling you how much golf he plays and how hard he tries to get better. And I respect the hell out of that.

I love Tony. He’s a phenomenal dude. And a hell of a golfer. I love playing with him.

Q. Vinny, obviously last year, as we talked a little bit earlier, was really emotional for you to be able to go through those three rounds. Do you still have your dad with you this year?

VINNY DEL NEGRO: Always. Oh, yeah, always. I was close with my dad. It’s just — a year ago today is when he passed away. So kind of a lot of people and family and talking to my mom and things and a lot of people reaching out. It’s a special day. And my dad’s always going to be with me. I was very close to him. And he pushed me all those years.

I probably wouldn’t be standing here, obviously, if it wasn’t for him just making me practice and believe in myself and compete and no matter what you’re doing. You have ups and downs and adversity throughout professional career, whatever it is in sports.

And he was always kind of there for me pushing me, supporting me in anything I was doing — basketball, coaching, golf. Whatever it was. Of course, he’s always with me.

The emotion of it, winning and then coming back here, it just feels right. And I’m looking forward to playing and see what happens this weekend.

Q. Mardy, Wimbledon, eight Americans into the fourth round I think, something like that. And Taylor and Amanda making the quarters. Is American tennis back? Is it on the up? Has it plateaued? Where is American tennis on the world stage now?

MARDY FISH: You have to separate the two because women’s tennis never left. American women’s tennis has been as dominant as ever. Serena, and I can just keep going. There’s a new finalist at every major it seems like from the States.

Obviously being Davis Cup captain, I’m very familiar with the men’s side. And, look, we’ve got five or six guys inside the top 40 in the world. They’re under 25 years old. It goes in waves. It comes in waves.

If you look at, like, a Switzerland for instance, with a Wawrinka and Federer, I don’t think they have anyone inside the top 300 in the world outside of those guys. So it comes in waves.

We’d love a Federer from America. I would, for sure. But, look, Taylor’s playing some fantastic tennis.

Reilly Opelka is our No. 2. John Isner has obviously been around a long time. There’s a bunch of names, I could keep going, that have a lot of talent. I’m happy to be the Davis Cup captain for at least a few more years.

Q. Is there one American male who you think’s going to take that next step and find themselves in semifinal after semifinal here in the near future?

MARDY FISH: It’s hard to do that, first of all. But I mean, these three guys showed — that’s not normal, these guys, they’re like 22, 20, 20, majors.

I think Novak is going to win Wimbledon, and so it puts him at 21. One behind Rafa. And look, it’s going to be incredible to watch that unfold. And then as far as Americans go, the only one that has shown that type of ability in big tournaments is Taylor Fritz so far. He’s the won that won Indian Wells. Played Rafa really tight the day before yesterday.

So you can say him. And then we’re at a golf tournament, so it would be remiss not to talk about Sebastian Korda and how good he is and obviously his sporting family and his sisters.

He’s a guy that’s got some serious talent. He’s a lot younger than the other guys I mentioned. He’s got some time. But they’re coming. And they’re coming in bulk, which is good for me.

Q. Vinny, we were talking last night we thought this was the one year ago today that your dad passed away. And you were channelling him, as you said. Overheard, “Lock it in, lock it in,” as you were approaching the ball. Are you going to hear that again on the course?

VINNY DEL NEGRO: Oh, probably. I always said it in my head. I was so emotional, I was saying it out loud really loud.

Q. Was that involuntary?

VINNY DEL NEGRO: Yeah, it just kind of happened. Just down the stretch, as Mardy knows, you’ve got to hit some good shots to close this tournament out. And I was fortunate enough to do that. Make some putts.

But there’s so many variables that go into it. Where are you at point-wise, how aggressive you need to be, where the pins are at. But coming down the stretch, to hit the shots in the right spots, give yourself an opportunity and try to make some birdies, close it out is not easy. But it worked out that way. And I was fortunate at the end.

Q. And especially in the playoff round. Looking at the scores from last year, the top five finishers, only one, Tony Romo, increased his points on day three. Everyone fell back. Mardy, you were down —

MARDY FISH: What are you trying to say? (Laughter.)

We can’t close?

Q. Is there something about Sunday? Is there something about the atmosphere here in Tahoe that everybody gets too relaxed after three or four days and Sunday comes?

MARDY FISH: It’s a lot of golf. They’re long rounds out there. And I can speak personally when I’m not necessarily — when I can sort of feel it slipping away or guys are just so far ahead and they’ve got more holes to play and stuff like that, we come out here and you want to win.

So maybe subconsciously you’re sort of like, oh, shoot, I didn’t win it this year so your game kind of falters a little bit, maybe.

I’ve certainly felt that from time to time. But it’s not easy to win. It’s not the best golfers win every time. And it’s just hard to win out here because there’s like Vinny says a lot of really good players.

Q. One of the things we notice is that all you guys get along. It seems that way anyway, except for Mardy and Tony. (Laughter)?

VINNY DEL NEGRO: I think it’s just mutual respect. We played in a bunch of tournaments over the years together. Everyone’s, different sports, tennis, basketball, football, baseball, whatever. Everyone is a competitive junkie. We all want to play well and beat each other. But I want Mardy to play well and I want to beat him. I want to play a little better. That’s part of it. That’s the competitive nature, how we were professional athletes for so many years.

It’s ingrained in us, no matter what you do, whatever sport it is. Whether you’re an actor, entertainer you want to do the best you possibly can. This is not our comfort level. It’s much easier for me to hit a 20-foot jump shot than it is to make a 10-foot putt or him hit a backhand or whatever it is to hit a great shot.

Golf is not our comfort level. We play a lot. Compete a lot. Try to play at a high level. But I can correct a lot of things easier on the basketball court than I can at times on the golf course. But I think that’s what kind of makes us enjoy it. I was in a team sport, not an individual sport. And golf, I have to figure it out. I can’t rely on my teammates. It’s me and my caddie, Dirk. And we’ve got to figure it out. I think that’s what makes it exciting and fun for all of us.

MARDY FISH: It’s also a really humbling place, that driving range. And like everyone next to you did something just as good or better than you did.

So the respect level is really high. And so it reminds me of the Olympic Village, when I was in the Olympics. Kind of go in there and maybe you wouldn’t recognize anyone or there’s a lot of athletes who do interesting sports and events there. But everyone did something just as good or better than you did. It was a really humbling place. So it’s a cool thing to be a part of.

Q. Last night at the players meeting, Jon Miller from NBC mentioned that this event has become really like family. A lot of guys every year. We have American Century as the title sponsor now in their 24th year. I look at the support you got last year, Vinny. And I looked around that room last night, when we were talking about Jack Wagner. And hoping —

VINNY DEL NEGRO: There’s a lot of personal stories. And we’ve played a ton of golf with Jack over the years. And he’s a good friend and we all reached out to him. There’s no right words other than you give him a hug and you tell him you love him and try to help people as much as you can.

Every day, there’s so many things going on in the world. But I think just kind of respecting people, listening to people, being kind to people, and just getting back to quality of life and the realization that life is difficult at times, but having good friends and family and support is very important and to come out here and have us be able to enjoy and compete is just a blessing.

American Century Championship

Thursday, July 7, 2022

Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA

Edgewood Tahoe

Steph Curry

Press Conference

Q. You still have got to be feeling pretty high after about three weeks after the NBA championship. How does that feel?

STEPH CURRY: It feels amazing. I definitely haven’t come down from it yet. It’s only been three weeks to today. Amazing. Amazing year for obvious reasons.

And to get back to the mountaintop, get the fourth ring, and do it with a new cast of characters, with our core that’s been together for over 10 years, it’s an amazing thing to think about. I don’t think it really has sunk in yet. It’s nice to come out and see the nation here in Lake Tahoe and play some golf. So I’m excited about it.

Q. What would it feel like for you to win this thing? You’ve got the ability. You’ve been close a few times. What would it mean to you, especially winning a fourth NBA championship three weeks ago?

STEPH CURRY: I think my wife would probably tell you if I came home with that trophy she would know what trophies might need to move out of the way back at home in the office. I hope we can make that decision on Sunday night when I get home.

But I’ve been here, I think, nine or ten times. I enjoy every week. Make it an amazing week with the guys I come up here with. Played well, three times got in the top five. So I know I have it in there.

This year, obviously coming off the finals, running deep into June, we’ll see how the golf game goes. That usually helps with lower expectations, just to go out and play free and just have fun, first and foremost. And if I can find a way to get off to a good start, that’s obviously the best feeling when you can feel like you’re in contention.

You know you can’t win it on the first day, but just try to play well and make things as easy as possible out there.

Q. What’s it like having your dad in your life and, of course, here with you this week, as he’s been throughout your entire life, and what’s it been like for you to be the father that you are? You mean a lot to a lot of people.

STEPH CURRY: It’s special, knowing that my dad, I grew up watching him play in the league. He played for 16 years, and learned how to be a professional, how to develop a work ethic, and then you get to share the experiences outside of the arena, like playing golf together. It’s a game you can play for your whole life.

And we’ve been blessed to have amazing golf experiences. My brother’s here as well. It’s definitely a family affair. And we have a great competition. I wouldn’t even call it friendly. It’s real. Just to be blessed to have that experience. I’ll never take it for granted. And hopefully we’ll add another great week to the list.

Q. I wanted to ask about your Underrated Youth program, kind of the genesis for how that started, and what you thought of the first year of doing it?

STEPH CURRY: We just launched maybe two months ago. I’ve had two regional stops. One in Chicago and one down in Scottsdale area.

And the ability to bring underrepresented communities out to the golf course, there’s so much talent in the youth golf world. Some is unheralded. Some that just needed an opportunity to be on a platform and a stage to showcase their skills.

But golf is such an amazing sport because it’s a conduit to developing true life and work skills that they can carry for the rest of their lives.

We’re thinking big about this. We have five stops this year. Hope to build that to a bigger field next year, both boys and girls. So equity access and opportunity is important to us, bringing these kids to amazing venues and giving them a first-class experience.

And hopefully taking it internationally. We want to be able to provide a platform for kids to pursue the highest levels of golf all while giving them the toolkit to be successful in life. And I think we’re off to an amazing start. There’s been a lot of great feedback. I think the kids are having a great time. They’re giving us great feedback on what they need, what kind of support.

And the experiences they need to get to the next level. So we’re just getting started. This is going to be really big and you know how much I love to play the game of golf but to be able to create an opportunity for the next generation is really important to me.

Q. When you talk about expansion, is that more cities, more tournaments? What’s the vision?

STEPH CURRY: Just reaching more kids and being able to spread our wings internationally. I think the feedback that we’ve gotten is we put on an amazing tournament. We have an amazing staff and volunteers and partners that are behind us. So it’s only going to continue to get bigger.

We want to continue that momentum where here and domestically in the states, Europe, Asia, around the globe, we can reach as many kids as possible. So I like the start we’re off to. Like I said, we’re just literally getting started. Literally like the first or second hole, if you like that terminology.

Q. Congratulations on the ESPYs. I’m curious how that came about. Are you writing your own material? How does it all go, for a busy guy like you?

STEPH CURRY: I’ve been to the ESPYs a bunch of times. And I’ve seen some amazing hosts throughout the years. John, Drake, Peyton Manning, you name it. I actually talked to Peyton about it, just what the experience was like once the opportunity was thrown my way. He said you’ll love it. It’s obviously out of my comfort zone. I’m excited about just the experience and having the mic on that kind of stage.

So everybody be careful, if you want to come to the show, just know you’re liable to catch a couple of strays. But it’s one of those where it never was on my radar as an opportunity or something that I wanted to kind of go after.

But I do appreciate the honor. I do appreciate the stage that it is and respectfully honoring and celebrating amazing athletes from all different sports and all different backgrounds.

I’ll make sure that that’s first and foremost, but you obviously want to have fun. So there’s some good ideas flowing. I wouldn’t say I’m sitting by the computer writing one-liners all day, but definitely it will have my personality, my DNA in all the bits that we do and just the whole night. I’m excited.

Q. You’re known as Chef Curry. Ayesha is known as a good cook. What’s the go-to meal if she’s out for the night?

STEPH CURRY: Five-ingredient pasta, you’re getting that every night. 15 minutes, whip it up. It’s great, but it ain’t nothing fancy. Staying in my lane on that one.

Q. Does the Petty King ever show up on the golf course and if so how?

STEPH CURRY: The only time it’s really come out I think in a Pro-Am like five years ago, one of the fans was on 16. I hit a bunker shot to like 30 feet or something.

And somebody yelled out, “I could have done better.” All right. Well, here’s the club, and gave it to him. He skulled it into the lake. Little moments like that where you just have fun. But trade the Petty King for just hopefully the Burger King, you know?

Q. You told us there was no better feeling than hitting good golf shots. But as we talked about three weeks ago tonight was a pretty special night in your life, and you were obviously very emotional in Boston. Has there been or could there ever be an instance on the golf course that brings you to tears?

STEPH CURRY: Well, I mean, you get the gauntlet of experiences, especially where I’m at in my golf game. I could hit a ball like I did on 16 today, 330, feel like amazing or snap hook one to the driving range on 18 and feel like just trash.

So the full gamut. I don’t know if — there’s no crying in golf, so I’ll try to keep it fun, keep it light. But maybe if I’m holding a trophy you might see a tear.

Q. Wanted to ask you about Charles. That bet’s out there again, top 70. Do you think he can do it this year?

STEPH CURRY: No. (Laughter) hell no. Clip that, send it to him, let him play it on every tee box. There’s no way he’s doing it.

As much faith as Chuck has had in the Warriors and jump-shooting teams winning championships, that’s the least amount of (laughter) — that’s the amount of faith I have in him hitting the top 70.

Q. Wanted to ask you about the family bet. That’s become obviously such a big thing up here every year now. Can you tell us what it is and what the numbers might be involved?

STEPH CURRY: It’s hard with Stableford because you’re trying to handicap it right. We’re all at different levels with where we’re at. Trying to give the right amount of points.

I think I gave my dad ten last year and it came down to the last hole, which was perfect. The way my game was trending and his, according to what he says, I’m going to have to give him a little more this year.

Seth actually played amazing last year for his first time. And I think he’s gotten a little bit better. We’ll make that decision tonight over a glass of wine and make sure everybody’s on the same page about what the bet is this year.

Q. Always involving the lake, I assume?

STEPH CURRY: It is. It’s a tradition. We might have to switch it up. So we’ll see it.

Q. Besides the fact that we’re both 34, does it kind of feel like you’re back in 2018 being a champion again and the crowds are back to normal and the media’s bigger than it’s ever been before?

STEPH CURRY: This is amazing. I remember we were over in that little cutout over there with the makeshift tent and about eight chairs. And everybody handed the mic to each other.

This is amazing, the amount of attention and awareness and the fans out here, the support, the energy. Obviously coming off the pandemic and getting full crowds in here. Like you said, the championship glow that I’m coming in with, it’s special. That’s why I look forward to this week so much, just because I think Tony said it before, the field’s amazing. There’s Vinny, Mardy, great golfers over in the corner. You know you’ve got to play well, but also if you do it’s great. You’ll get that support. Even if you don’t, you’ll have a great time. It’s a can’t-miss week for me.

Q. Question about Patrick Mahomes, who is playing here. I’m curious, when you’ve been able to watch him play football, what type of skills do you see? And do you see him possessing any of the same type of skills you do showing on the football field that you would on the basketball court?

STEPH CURRY: To me, it’s the perfect balance of everything that you can teach in terms of fundamentals and reads and all that type of stuff. I’m not going to sit here and talk football. But the blend of what you can teach and the intangibles, he’s just got such a great feel, great awareness. The flare for the dramatic.

He likes to take chances, all that type of stuff. I love that style. The same kind of way I play. There’s a lot of respect and admiration for what he can do on the field. And I’m sure it goes the same way with what I could do on the court, too.

Q. Education, I talked to Jerome Bettis, both of you went back to school to finish and get your degrees. Round of applause for that. I think that’s incredible. And I just think about all the adults that might be watching who are thinking about going to school or finishing. Or guardians telling their kids, you can play college ball, you can go to the league, but don’t forget about your education. So my question is, was it a promise to yourself or a promise to your family? And then were you finishing your credits during the season? How did it all work?

STEPH CURRY: It started, I went to Davidson for a reason. Obviously to play basketball but to get a great education. As things turned out, leaving after my junior year was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up. But I made a promise to my mom and Coach Bob McKillop, that I would finish at some point.

I did a lot of work right after I left school. Obviously 13 years later, finally finished. The motivation was, one, to fulfill that promise, kind of what you said on the message it sends. But my oldest daughter is getting older. I wanted to make sure I didn’t graduate the same year she did. (Laughter) That was it.

Q. The night of the draft was the 50th anniversary for Title IX. You mentioned Riley, raising a daughter, having sisters. What I’ve been learning about Title IX is so much bigger than sports. It’s civil rights as far as women’s equality. But everybody was like, oh, the Warriors won, basketball is over. No, it’s not because we have Sue Bird and Sylvia Fowles retiring, and the WNBA is in full swing. I’d love to hear your thoughts on women’s equality and women sports, where we are and where we need to be going.

STEPH CURRY: You have to be living under a rock if you don’t understand how important that mission is and the awareness, like you said, the equality and the right investment in women’s basketball, WNBA, but also in every sport.

My wife and I were blessed to be able to start a scholarship fund at Davidson for women’s athletics outside of basketball, because they have the most scholarship offerings there. But all the other sports were kind of lacking.

So we started a fund there to create more opportunities, especially for young women from underrepresented communities. And the feedback we got about how much just being able to play in high school and college built confidence and belief that you could accomplish anything whether in sports or outside of sports.

There’s so many amazing women in positions of leadership. There needs to be more. And sports is a great conduit to do it. Like you said, Title IX started the wave and we still have a lot of work to do. WNBA is an amazing space. Thoughts and prayers and continued awareness around the Brittney Griner situation.

So there’s a lot of positive momentum, but can’t let our foot off the gas pedal on ways we can all continue to make a difference and support women’s athletics.

Q. There’s a viral video that went around of you rapping Andy Mineo’s “Been About It” word for word right after. I don’t know how many people may know Andy and Lecrae. But thanks for supporting them and their music.

STEPH CURRY: Absolutely.

Q. Question on behalf of Max Preps, Chet Holmgren was our athlete of the year, basketball player of the year. He really made a name for himself at the UA camp of yours. At that time did you ever see him being a number two pick, and what do you think it’s going to be like going up against him in the league, like the ceiling?

STEPH CURRY: Absolutely. Super talented. Blessed with physical abilities, but he had that competitive streak, work ethic. I’ve seen a lot of talent come through that All-American camp, the All American Under Armour Curry brand.

And there’s pretty good representation in the league right now, some of those kids have come through. I have a teammate in James Wiseman, who was there the year before Chet. Talent is on the rise in the league. Chet being one of them.

Exciting to see those guys come into their own, figure out how to be successful in the league because that’s when the real work starts. You make it. You have to last and become great. And watching them go through those experiences is going to be fun, but hopefully not at our expense, though.

Q. Floaters going against him?

STEPH CURRY: You’ve got to. Eight-foot wing span. Gotta get it up there.

Tournament Coverage Friday-Sunday on GOLF Channel, NBC and Peacock

 NBC Sports Surrounds Tournament Coverage With Exclusive Interviews and Content

 SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Nev., July 5, 2022 – This week, the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament will feature the strongest field from the world of sports and entertainment in the championship’s 33-year history, headlined by Justin Timberlake, Stephen, Dell and Seth Curry, Annika Sorenstam, Patrick Mahomes, Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers, Charles Barkley, defending champion Vinny Del Negro and first-time participants Colin Jost of Saturday Night Live, WWE Superstar The Miz, and singers/songwriters Nick Jonas and Jake Owen.

GOLF Channel, NBC and Peacock will televise coverage Friday-Sunday, July 8-10, with NBC Sports surrounding tournament coverage all week in delivering robust linear and digital coverage.

American Century Championship Tournament Airtimes
Friday, July 8              Peacock, NBC Sports Digital             4-6 p.m. ET / 1-3 p.m. PT (Live)

Friday, July 8              GOLF Channel           7:30-9:30 p.m. ET / 4:30-6:30 p.m. PT
Saturday, July 9          NBC, Peacock            2:30-6 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. PT (Live)
Sunday, July 10          NBC. Peacock             2:30-6 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. PT (Live)

TOP FIELD IN TOURNAMENT HISTORY: A field of 87 participants from the world of sports and entertainment will compete in the 54-hole tournament, taking place at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course on the shores of Lake Tahoe. All told, the field collectively represents 17 Hall of Famers, 13 Most Valuable Player awards, multiple Cy Young and Player of the Year Awards, as well as multiple Grammy and Emmy Award winners. The full field for the 2022 American Century Championship can be found Here.

TWELVE FIRST-TIME PARTICIPANTS: A total of 12 first-time participants will compete in the 2022 American Century Championship, including Alex Caruso, Dwight Freeney, Robert Griffith III, Nick Jonas, Colin Jost, Jon Lester, Pat McAfee, The Miz, Jake Owen, Jason Scheff, Harrison Smith and Jayson Werth.

SORENSTAM HEADLINES WOMEN IN FIELD: World Golf Hall-of-Famer Annika Sorenstam will compete in the American Century Championship for a third time (2014, 2021), kicking off the first of a three-week consecutive tournament stretch (Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational, Senior LPGA Championship). She will be joined by TODAY Show anchor/meteorologist Dylan Dreyer, golf personality Paige Spiranac and NBC Sports reporter Kathryn Tappen in the field at the American Century Championship this week.

NBC SPORTS BROADCAST TEAM: Host Steve Sands and analyst Peter Jacobsen will anchor NBC Sports’ live tournament coverage from Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. They will be joined by Jimmy Roberts as a hole announcer, along with Notah Begay and John Wood reporting from the course. Kira K. Dixon will conduct interviews with players in the field throughout the championship.

TODAY SHOW, CNBC, NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS AND NBC LOCAL AFFILIATES SURROUND COVERAGE: Wednesday-Friday leading up to the opening round of coverage, the TODAY Show, CNBC, NBC Sports Regional Networks and local NBC affiliates across the country will prepare viewers for live coverage with interviews from Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course with players in the field.

NBC SPORTS’ BEYOND THE FAIRWAY PODCAST: NBC Sports’ signature golf podcast Beyond the Fairway, hosted by Will Lowery and Doug Smith, will deliver exclusive content and interviews from the American Century Championship throughout the week. Beyond the Fairway and Bet the Edge are available for download on all major podcast platforms, including: NBCSports.com/podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and iHeart. Beyond the Fairway also is available on GolfChannel.com and full video episodes are available on GOLF Channel’s YouTube page and on Peacock.

BIG BREAK GLASS BREAK CHALLENGE, WEDNESDAY, JULY 6: Celebrities in the field will have the opportunity to compete in the “Glass Break Challenge”, the signature challenge from GOLF Channel’s long-running reality competition series, Big Break. GOLF Channel’s Vince Cellini will host the Glass Break Challenge on Wednesday, with exclusive content airing via GOLF Channel, GolfPass and NBC Sports’ digital and social media platforms beginning Thursday leading into the championship.

GOLF CHANNEL NEWS COVERAGE: GOLF Channel’s news shows Golf Today and Golf Central will surround NBC Sports’ live tournament coverage with news coverage and highlights throughout the week.

SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE: The American Century Championship’s social media handles (@ACChampionship on Twitter and Instagram, and Facebook) will provide exclusive behind-the-scenes content throughout the week. Live tournament coverage also will integrate social media into its telecasts Friday-Sunday, incorporating social media posts from celebrities, athletes and fans using the hashtag #ACCGolf.

NBC Sports’ coverage of the American Century Championship will be streamed via NBCSports.com as well as on the NBC Sports app. The official tournament website – www.AmericanCenturyChampionship.com – will be a one-stop shop for videos, photos and live scoring. Fans can keep up with the American Century Championship through NBC Sports Group’s social media platforms throughout tournament week, including photos, interviews, video clips, up-to-date news reports and highlights at @NBCSports, @GOLFChannel and @ACChampionship.

MORE THAN $6 MILLION DONATED TO CHARITY: Since the tournament’s inception in 1980, the American Century Championship has donated more than $6 million to charity and non-profits. The event features a $600,000 purse, with $125,000 going to the winner, with many of the players donating their winnings to charities and non-profits.

Tickets are available in advance and only online at www.AmericanCenturyChampionship.com.

American Century Investments, the title sponsor of the championship since 1998, continues its role in partnership with NBC Sports, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course and the South Tahoe community.

About American Century Investments – Tournament Title Sponsor

American Century Investments is a leading global asset manager focused on delivering investment results and building long-term client relationships while supporting breakthrough medical research. Founded in 1958, American Century Investments’ 1,400 employees serve financial professionals, institutions, corporations and individual investors from offices in New York; London; Frankfurt; Hong Kong; Sydney; Santa Clara, Calif.; and Kansas City, Mo. Jonathan S. Thomas is president and chief executive officer, and Victor Zhang serves as chief investment officer. Delivering investment results to clients enables American Century Investments to distribute over 40% of its dividends to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a 500-person, nonprofit basic biomedical research organization. The Institute owns more than 40% of American Century Investments and has received dividend payments of $1.8 billion since 2000. For more information about American Century Investments, visit www.americancentury.com.

About the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority
Lake Tahoe was recently designated No. 24 in the World Top 100 Golf Destinations for the best combination of experiences: spectacular golf, dining, attractions, resorts, culture by GolfPass. Visit Lake Tahoe combines the distinctive appeal of two worlds: spectacular natural beauty and a modern tourism destination with an array of outdoor recreation, entertainment, nightlife and gaming. Tahoe’s timeless splendor and diversity toward health and wellness, green business practices and sustainability continue to define its inimitable personality. For information about lodging, recreation, packages, and healthy travel at Visit Lake Tahoe, call 1-800-288-2463 or log onto www.VisitLakeTahoe.com

Jonas to Make Inaugural Appearance in the American Century Championship

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Nev., June 30, 2022 – Nick Jonas, singer, songwriter, and actor will make his inaugural appearance at the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe, July 6-10, enhancing what is the most elite field of sports and entertainment stars in the tournament’s 33-year history.

Jonas is best recognized as part of the Jonas Brothers band with his older brothers, Kevin and Joe. Their debut album “It’s About Time” was released in 2006, followed by their self-titled second album a year later. The Jonas Brothers became prominent figures on the Disney Channel which led to several musical television films including “Camp Rock” and its sequel “Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam.” Their popularity grew with two of their own television series, “Jonas Brothers: Living the Dream” and “Jonas.” Two more albums followed including “A Little Bit Longer” in 2008 and “Lines, Vines and Trying Times” 2009.

The band took a hiatus and Jonas took to acting including the television series “Smash” and Broadway roles. Jonas went on to produce four solo albums: “Nicholas Jonas,” (2005), “Nick Jonas,” (2014), “Last Year Was Complicated” (2016), and “Spaceman” (2021). He reunited for a fifth Jonas Brothers album in 2019 titled “Happiness Begins.” A coach on “The Voice” for two seasons, Jonas had prominent acting roles in the hit movies “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” “Jumanji: The Next Level,” and “Midway,” in addition to numerous other film, television, and Broadway roles.

Jonas will join headliners Justin Timberlake, Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers, Annika Sorenstam, Charles Barkley and first-time participants Colin Jost of Saturday Night Live, WWE Superstar The Miz, and Jake Owen, country music singer/songwriter. The lineup represents 13 Hall of Famers, 17 Most Valuable Player Awards, and multiple Cy Young Award winners. With Timberlake, Ray Romano, Anthony Anderson, and other entertainment celebrities, the field also boasts multiple Emmy, Grammy and other awards.

The American Century Championship will be televised nationally Friday, 7:30—9:30pm ET on GOLF Channel; Saturday and Sunday, 2:30—6:00pm ET on NBC.

Tickets are now available online only in advance at: www.AmericanCenturyChampionship.com  with daily tickets for Wednesday’s practice round and Thursday’s Celebrity-Amateur at $30, and tournament rounds Friday, Saturday and Sunday at $40 per day. A Grounds Pass for all five days is just $90, a 50% savings.

The American Century Championship in scenic Lake Tahoe features a purse of $600,000 with $125,000 to the winner. Charity fundraising has produced over $5.5 million for non-profits over the years. The tournament is played over lakefront Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, a George Fazio design, with re-design elements from Tom Fazio. It is rated by Golf Digest Magazine as one of “America’s Top 100 Golf Courses.”

The lineup of entertainers, actors and comedians feature Jost, Miles Teller, Anthony Anderson, Alfonso Ribeiro, Michael Pena, Ray Romano, Rob Riggle, Brian Baumgartner, John O’Hurley, Larry the Cable Guy, Jay DeMarcus, formerly of Rascal Flatts, Jason Scheff, former singer and bassist for Chicago, and Jack Wagner, two-time champion and one of two originals along with Jim McMahon to have played in all 32 American Century Championships.

The 54-hole competition will test the golf skills of more than 80 players. The current tournament field is available Here.

The 2022 American Century Championship will utilize the Modified Stableford format whereby points are awarded by score per hole.

American Century Investments, the title sponsor of the championship since 1998, continues its role in partnership with NBC Sports, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course and the South Tahoe community.

For the latest details, photos, celebrity tweets and fan contests using #ACCgolf go to @ACChampionship on Twitter and Instagram, and Facebook. For tournament information: www.AmericanCenturyChampionship.com.

About American Century Investments – Tournament Title Sponsor

American Century Investments is a leading global asset manager focused on delivering investment results and building long-term client relationships while supporting breakthrough medical research. Founded in 1958, American Century Investments’ 1,400 employees serve financial professionals, institutions, corporations and individual investors from offices in New York; London; Frankfurt; Hong Kong; Sydney; Santa Clara, Calif.; and Kansas City, Mo. Jonathan S. Thomas is president and chief executive officer, and Victor Zhang serves as chief investment officer. Delivering investment results to clients enables American Century Investments to distribute over 40% of its dividends to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a 500-person, nonprofit basic biomedical research organization. The Institute owns more than 40% of American Century Investments and has received dividend payments of $1.8 billion since 2000. For more information about American Century Investments, visit www.americancentury.com.

About the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority
Lake Tahoe was recently designated No. 24 in the World Top 100 Golf Destinations for the best combination of experiences: spectacular golf, dining, attractions, resorts, culture by GolfPass. Visit Lake Tahoe combines the distinctive appeal of two worlds: spectacular natural beauty and a modern tourism destination with an array of outdoor recreation, entertainment, nightlife and gaming. Tahoe’s timeless splendor and diversity toward health and wellness, green business practices and sustainability continue to define its inimitable personality. For information about lodging, recreation, packages, and healthy travel at Visit Lake Tahoe, call 1-800-288-2463 or log onto www.VisitLakeTahoe.com

Family affair as Seth and Dell Curry also joining most prominent celebrity field in tournament history, July 6-10 at Edgewood Tahoe on NBC

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Nev., June 22 – Stephen Curry, fresh off the Golden State Warriors’ fourth NBA championship in the past eight seasons and his unanimous selection as Finals MVP, will bring recognition as one of basketball history’s greatest players along with his golf skills to Edgewood Tahoe for the 33^rd annual American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe, July 8-10. (www.americancenturychampionship.com).

Joining Steph will be his father Dell, and brother Seth. With the participation of the three Currys, the star power just jumped the charts at celebrity golf’s pre-eminent tournament. They will join a field with Justin Timberlake, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers, Annika Sorenstam, Charles Barkley and first-time participants Colin Jost of Saturday Night Live, WWE Superstar The Miz, and Jake Owen, country music singer/songwriter. The lineup represents 13 Hall of Famers, 17 Most Valuable Player Awards, and multiple Cy Young Award winners. With Timberlake, Ray Romano, Anthony Anderson, and other entertainment celebrities, the field also boasts winners of multiple Emmy, Grammy and other awards.

The American Century Championship will be televised nationally Friday, 7:30—9:30 p.m. ET on GOLF Channel; Saturday and Sunday, 2:30—6:00 p.m. ET on NBC.

Tickets are now available online only in advance at: www.AmericanCenturyChampionship.com  with daily tickets for Wednesday’s practice round and Thursday’s Celebrity-Amateur at $30, and tournament rounds Friday, Saturday and Sunday at $40 per day.

For Curry, it represents his 10th appearance at the American Century Championship. His best finish was fourth on three occasions: T4 in 2013, 2017 and 2020. He was 9^th last year. Caesars Sportsbook has him listed as one of the top eight favorites at 12:1 odds.

The American Century Championship in scenic Lake Tahoe features a purse of $600,000 with $125,000 to the winner. Charity fundraising has produced over $6 million for non-profits over the years. The tournament is played over lakefront Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, a George Fazio design, with re-design elements from Tom Fazio. It is rated by Golf Digest Magazine as one of “America’s Top 100 Golf Courses.”

Vinny Del Negro will defend his 2021 title against top celebrity contenders including Annika Sorenstam, one of the greatest professional players in history with 72 LPGA Tour wins and eight Player of the Year Awards; Tony Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, current CBS NFL analyst, and two-time winner of the ACC; Mark Mulder, three-time ACC champion and former MLB pitcher; Mardy Fish, 2020 tournament champion, former tennis star and current captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team; and John Smoltz, MLB Hall of Fame pitcher, 2018 U.S. Senior Open qualifier and Fox MLB analyst.

A contingent of 30 NFL stars are in the field together with current quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, 2021 NFL MVP; and Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders. Active players also feature Robbie Gould, 49ers; Adam Thielen, Harrison Smith and Patrick Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings.

Hall of Famers feature Michael Strahan, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Tim Brown, Jerome Bettis, Terrell Davis, Brian Urlacher, and Charles Woodson; as well as former All-Pros Larry Fitzgerald, DeMarcus Ware, Kyle Williams, and Jim McMahon. Also in the field is head coach Mike Vrabel of the Tennessee Titans.

NBA representation includes local favorite Charles Barkley; Del Negro; current Miami Heat star Kyle Lowry and Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso, making his tournament debut; and Vince Carter, eight-time All-Star and current ESPN analyst.

Including Annika, women in the field feature Dylan Dreyer, meteorologist for NBC News and The Today Show; Kathryn Tappen, NBC Sports anchor and on-air personality; and Kira K. Dixon, GOLF Channel reporter and 2015 Miss America.

The lineup of entertainers, actors and comedians feature Jost, Miles Teller, Anthony Anderson, Alfonso Ribeiro, Michael Pena, Ray Romano, Rob Riggle, Brian Baumgartner, John O’Hurley, Larry the Cable Guy, Jay DeMarcus, formerly of Rascal Flatts, Jason Scheff, former singer and bassist for Chicago, and Jack Wagner, two-time champion and one of two originals along with Jim McMahon to have played in all 32 American Century Championships.

Major League Baseball players showcase Smoltz, teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, CC Sabathia, Joe Maurer, Jimmy Rollins, Kevin Millar, Shane Victorino, Tim Wakefield, David Wells, and first timers Jon Lester and Jayson Werth.

The 54-hole competition will test the golf skills of more than 80 players. Additions to the field will be announced leading up to the championship in July. The current tournament field is available Here.

The 2022 American Century Championship will utilize the Modified Stableford format whereby points are awarded by score per hole.

American Century Investments, the title sponsor of the championship since 1999, continues its role in partnership with NBC Sports, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course and the South Tahoe community.

For the latest details, photos, celebrity tweets and fan contests using #ACCgolf go to @ACChampionship on Twitter and Instagram, and Facebook. For tournament information: www.AmericanCenturyChampionship.com.

About American Century Investments – Tournament Title Sponsor

American Century Investments is a leading global asset manager focused on delivering investment results and building long-term client relationships while supporting breakthrough medical research. Founded in 1958, American Century Investments’ 1,400 employees serve financial professionals, institutions, corporations and individual investors from offices in New York; London; Frankfurt; Hong Kong; Sydney; Santa Clara, Calif.; and Kansas City, Mo. Jonathan S. Thomas is president and chief executive officer, and Victor Zhang serves as chief investment officer. Delivering investment results to clients enables American Century Investments to distribute over 40% of its dividends to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a 500-person, nonprofit basic biomedical research organization. The Institute owns more than 40% of American Century Investments and has received dividend payments of $1.8 billion since 2000. For more information about American Century Investments, visit www.americancentury.com.

About the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority
Lake Tahoe was recently designated No. 24 in the World Top 100 Golf Destinations for the best combination of experiences: spectacular golf, dining, attractions, resorts, culture by GolfPass. Visit Lake Tahoe combines the distinctive appeal of two worlds: spectacular natural beauty and a modern tourism destination with an array of outdoor recreation, entertainment, nightlife and gaming. Tahoe’s timeless splendor and diversity toward health and wellness, green business practices and sustainability continue to define its inimitable personality. For information about lodging, recreation, packages, and healthy travel at Visit Lake Tahoe, call 1-800-288-2463 or log onto www.VisitLakeTahoe.com

Top Field Features Newcomers Colin Jost, The Miz, Jake Owen

& Fan Favorites Justin Timberlake, Charles Barkley, Larry the Cable Guy

at Celebrity Golf’s Pre-eminent Championship on NBC

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif., May 16, 2022 – Sports and entertainment superstars will take center stage at Edgewood Tahoe, July 6-10, for the 33rd rendition of the American Century Championship, celebrity golf’s most prominent tournament.

Gallery favorites Justin Timberlake, Charles Barkley, and Larry the Cable Guy will be joined by first time players Colin Jost of Saturday Night Live, The Miz of World Wrestling Entertainment fame, and Jake Owen, country music singer/songwriter to compete for $600,000 and charity fundraising during the 54-hole tournament.

The American Century Championship will be televised nationally Friday-Sunday (July 8-10), with GOLF Channel carrying the opening round on Friday and NBC airing live coverage Saturday and Sunday.

Tickets are now available online only in advance at: www.AmericanCenturyChampionship.com  with daily tickets for Wednesday’s practice round and Thursday’s Celebrity-Amateur at $30, and tournament rounds Friday, Saturday and Sunday at $40 per day. A Grounds Pass for all five days is just $90, a 50% savings.

Vinny Del Negro will defend his title against top celebrity contenders including Annika Sorenstam, one of the greatest professional players in history with 72 LPGA Tour wins and eight Player of the Year Awards; Mark Mulder, three-time ACC champion and former Oakland A’s and St. Louis Cardinals All-Star Pitcher; Mardy Fish, 2020 tournament winner, former tennis star and current captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team; and John Smoltz, MLB Hall of Fame pitcher, 2018 U.S. Senior Open qualifier and Fox MLB analyst.

A contingent of 29 NFL stars are in the field including current quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, 2021 MVP; and Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders. Active players also feature Robbie Gould, 49ers; Adam Thielen, Harrison Smith and Patrick Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings.

Hall of Famers feature Michael Strahan, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, Jerome Bettis, Terrell Davis, Brian Urlacher, Charles Woodson; as well as former All-Pros Larry Fitzgerald, DeMarcus Ware, Kyle Williams, and Jim McMahon. Current coaches include Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans, and Herm Edwards, Arizona State.

NBA representation includes Hall of Famers Ray Allen, and local favorite Charles Barkley; defending champ Del Negro; current Miami Heat star Kyle Lowery and Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso, making his tournament debut; and Vince Carter, eight-time All-Star and current ESPN analyst.

Women currently in the field include the aforementioned Annika, who’ll be joined by Dylan Dreyer, meteorologist for NBC News and Today; Kathryn Tappen, NBC Sports anchor and on-air personality; and Kira K. Dixon, GOLF Channel reporter and 2015 Miss America.

The lineup of entertainers, actors and comedians features Jost, Miles Teller, Anthony Anderson, Alfonso Ribeiro, Michael Pena, Ray Romano, Rob Riggle, Brian Baumgartner, John O’Hurley, Larry the Cable Guy, Jay DeMarcus, formerly of Rascal Flatts, Jason Scheff, former singer and bassist for Chicago, and Jack Wagner, two-time champion and one of two originals along with Jim McMahon, to have played in all 32 American Century Championships.

Major League Baseball includes Smoltz, teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, CC Sabathia, Joe Maurer, Jimmy Rollins, Kevin Millar, Shane Victorino, Tim Wakefield, and David Wells.

Additions to the field will be announced leading up to the championship in July. The current tournament field is available Here.

The 54-hole competition will test the golf skills of more than 80 players, some of whom compete as amateurs and donate their prize money to tournament charities. The American Century Championship has donated over $5 million to non-profits. 

The 2022 American Century Championship will utilize the Modified Stableford format whereby points are awarded by score per hole. Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, a George Fazio design, is rated by Golf Digest Magazine as one of “America’s Top 100 Golf Courses.”

American Century Investments, the title sponsor of the championship since 1998, continues its role in partnership with NBC Sports, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course and the South Tahoe community.

For the latest details, photos, celebrity tweets and fan contests using #ACCgolf go to @ACChampionship on Twitter and Instagram, and Facebook. For tournament information: www.AmericanCenturyChampionship.com.

About American Century Investments – Tournament Title Sponsor

American Century Investments is a leading global asset manager focused on delivering investment results and building long-term client relationships while supporting breakthrough medical research. Founded in 1958, American Century Investments’ 1,400 employees serve financial professionals, institutions, corporations and individual investors from offices in New York; London; Frankfurt; Hong Kong; Sydney; Los Angeles; Santa Clara, Calif.; and Kansas City, Mo. Jonathan Thomas is president and chief executive officer, and Victor Zhang serves as chief investment officer. Delivering investment results to clients enables American Century Investments to distribute over 40 percent of its dividends to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a 500-person, non-profit basic biomedical research organization. The Institute owns more than 40 percent of American Century Investments and has received dividend payments of $1.8 billion since 2000. For more information about American Century Investments, visit www.americancentury.com.

About the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority
Lake Tahoe was recently designated No. 24 in the World Top 100 Golf Destinations for the best combination of experiences: spectacular golf, dining, attractions, resorts, culture by GolfPass. Tahoe South combines the distinctive appeal of two worlds: spectacular natural beauty and a modern tourism destination with an array of outdoor recreation, entertainment, nightlife and gaming. Tahoe’s timeless splendor and diversity toward health and wellness, green business practices and sustainability continue to define its inimitable personality. For information about lodging, recreation, packages, and healthy travel at Tahoe South, call 1-800-288-2463 or log onto www.TahoeSouth.com