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The American Century Championship is where celebrities go to compete on the golf course.
Edgewood Golf Course in Lake Tahoe is where the biggest celebrity golf show will take place. The tournament begins on July 10 and ends on July 12.
The American Century Championship uses a modified Stableford scoring system rather than traditional stroke play, meaning that instead of counting stroke totals, players are awarded points based on their score for each hole.
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Joe Pavelski celebrates with the trophy after the final round of the U.S. Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada, July 13, 2025. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
An albatross is worth 10 points, a hole-in-one is worth eight points, an eagle is worth six points, a birdie is worth three points, a par is worth one point, a bogey is worth nothing and anything over par or worse is worth minus two points.
Last year, former NHL star Joe Pavelski won with 73 points. World Series champion John Smoltz was second with 64 points, country singer Jake Owen third with 62 points, former USMNT soccer star Taylor Twellman came in fourth with 61 points and Golden State Warriors legend Steph Curry came in fifth with 58 points.
Smoltz told PK Press Club Digital in a recent interview that he didn’t start fast enough in the first round, forcing him to play catch-up.
“I start off slow. Every tournament I get to the second and third rounds with the hole too big. I make a ton of pars. It’s so frustrating to say I make a ton of pars. Normally that would be fine, but it’s not in this tournament. I think at one point I made 29 pars in a row in a tournament, and it was nauseating. It was like I’d rather bite the head off my putter because a par only earns one point,” Smoltz told PK Press Club Digital in a recent interview.
Smoltz attributed his slow starts to a conservative mindset and stressed the importance of making birdie putts.
“You get three times the value of a birdie. So, like last year, I think I made seven or eight birdies in the last round to finish second. I couldn’t chase down Pavelski, but I’m like, ‘Where was he?’ Where are those birdies in the first round?’” Smoltz said.
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Annika Sörenstam watches from the seventh green during the first round of the 2026 Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club in Orlando, Florida on January 29, 2026. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
LPGA legend Annika Sörenstam echoed Smoltz’s sentiment of having to be aggressive because of the scoring system.
“I would love to bring him home. I haven’t been able to do it. I keep trying every year. Keep knocking on the door. I want to get the guys once. I mean, I obviously have to play all three rounds well. I think I have to be a little more aggressive because it’s Stableford as you know,” Sorenstam told PK Press Club Digital.
“A different format than I’m used to. I mean, as far as you know, in my professional career we played stroke play for four days. Consistency was really the key. Now it’s about getting points, and you get points by being more aggressive here. It rewards birdies and eagles. I think I really need to try to be a little more aggressive, which maybe isn’t my nature when it comes to golf.”
Smoltz, Sorenstam, Owen, Pavelski, Curry, former NFL star Adam Thielen and Los Angeles Lakers star Austin Reaves are among the favorites. While golf is certainly a major draw for some celebrities, many have praised the tournament’s atmosphere.
“I think American Century does a great job of getting good people to come and play the tournament, and it’s a lot of good golf, too,” Minnesota Twins legend Joe Mauer told PK Press Club Digital in a recent interview.
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Sports broadcaster Jay Bilas plays golf during the first practice round of the 2025 ACC Celebrity Golf Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada, July 9, 2025. (David Calvert/Getty Images for American Century Investments)
“They make you feel like you’re on tour for a week.”
This will be the 37th American Century Championship, and Super Bowl champion Joe Theismann has participated in 36 of them. He said he used to be a handicap of 2, but is now a handicap of nine because he doesn’t hit the ball as far.
He called the event one not to miss, not only because of the golf, but because of all the people you get to meet.
“The American Century Championship has evolved into one of those things where if you love golf, and if you’re in the celebrity world, quote unquote, it’s the thing that you really want to be a part of. You can measure your game. You can pull back the curtain on so many wonderful people, and you can see the ones that you watch on TV because I’m a fan of everything. But now you get the chance to see them up close and personal, and you get the chance to meet them and get to know them, and it’s exciting,” Theismann told PK Press Club Digital in a recent interview.
The 76-year-old said he could visit people at the stand. He mentioned Jerry Rice, Tony Romo and Miles Teller as people he had conversations with, calling himself a Teller “fanboy.”
Theismann said “Top Gun: Maverick” was his favorite movie of all time.
ESPN broadcaster Jay Bilas said he was invited six or seven years ago and called it the equivalent of a PGA Tour player being invited to the Masters.
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Joe Mauer putst during the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada on July 12, 2019. (Tom R. Smedes, Tom R. Smedes via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
“When I got invited six or seven years ago, I was thrilled. I just couldn’t believe I could do it. And they were, they must have a very low bar, but they’ve invited me back ever since. And for me, getting that invitation has to be the equivalent of a PGA Tour player being invited to the Masters. So you get the invitation, you’re like, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t believe they invited me back.’ it’s an automatic yes,” Bilas told PK Press Club Digital in a recent interview.
“It’s just a thrill. And it’s just as exciting once you get there because it’s a beautiful setting on Lake Tahoe at the Edgewood Resort. The weather is always spectacular. Seventy thousand people are there in shorts and summer dresses just enjoying seeing some of their favorite celebrities.”
Bilas said he loved participating in the tournament, but it was the atmosphere that made it special. He thanked CEO Jonathan Thomas for being so welcoming and creating a family environment that everyone loves.
NFL great Patrick Peterson said the event has evolved over the years and is something his whole family enjoys.
“My daughters look forward to going to Lake Tahoe every year, not only to walk with Dad, but also to get out on the lake,” Peterson told PK Press Club Digital in a recent interview. “Going to the top of the mountain and zip lining and things like that. So the memories they’re able to create for the families involved are endless.”
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John Smoltz hits a shot during the ACC golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe. (Tom R. Smedes/Special to RGJ via Imagn Content Services, LLC)
NFL legend Jerome Bettis said America’s championship of the century gave him a locker room vibe he no longer has.
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“I think my favorite part is definitely being able to chat with the athletes because obviously being retired you don’t get a chance to do that anymore. And so when you get a chance to have fun with guys like in the locker room, it’s really fun and exhilarating,” Bettis said.
The tournament raised more than $8 million for regional and national charities. American Century Investments donates 40% of its profits to the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and activates a tournament fundraiser each year to generate direct donations to Stowers.
