Tahoe’s American Century Championship: A reminder of what we missed during pandemic

The beats, boats and bathing suits adorning the 17th hole at the beautiful Edgewood Golf Course along the southeastern coast of Lake Tahoe served as a reminder of what most of us have been missing for more than the last year: an outlet, an opportunity to let loose and get close to the athletes and celebrities we’ve been observing from confinement during lock down.

Yes, the American Century Championship, Tahoe’s annual celebrity golf tournament showcasing the scenery and sunshine two hours east of Sacramento, was held last summer in the height of the pandemic. But it came without fans while most of the country was shut down. It took away the atmosphere players cherish when they make the annual Tahoe trek in what’s become the most popular celebrity golf event of the year.

“When you turn to the (left) on 17,” Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz said, “there’s nothing like it.”

Smoltz, who entered Sunday’s final round at the top of the leaderboard, was right.

After the beautiful par-5 at No. 16 brings you back through the forest, down the hill and to the lakefront, the golf tournament suddenly turns into spring break in the middle of July. The music is blasting. A basketball hoop is set up near the tee box allowing for participants like Stephen Curry to take a break from birdies to get buckets. The serenity of the chirping birds and scent of pine trees from the previous 16 holes is forgotten.

Sponsors set up tents with interactive experiences on the left side of the hole. The right side is the beach filled with bikinis and beer. It’s a full-on beach party that happens to surround some big names, like Patrick Mahomes, Justin Timberlake, Aaron Rodgers (who was chucking footballs to boats well off shore), Charles Barkley, the Curry family and others pin hunting from 169 yards away.

Everyone at 17 is looking for that release — and/or autographs, fist bumps and photos — with their favorite stars. There can’t be many places in the world you can be drinking your favorite beverage on a boat while watching celebrities try for the top prize among the $600,000 purse.

Even an unnamed group of players — which may have included a recent NFL MVP — found their own release on the golf course to the point of forgetting to keep score during Friday’s first round (beverages may have been involved), a source said.

But that sentiment is rare among the 87 golfers participating. Many are former or current athletes, after all, who have allowed golf to fill the competitive void created by their retirements or offseasons. The tournament offers that feeling they had during their playing or coaching careers in their respective sports.

“There’s always pressure, but that’s what it’s all about,” said former NBA player and coach Vinny Del Negro, who entered Sunday in second. “We love the competition. We’re competition junkies. That’s what we love. We want to be under the heat. We’ve been under it our whole life in some capacity, whether baseball, football, basketball, whatever.”

Smoltz and Del Negro went to a playoff on Sunday after finishing tied following 54 holes. Smoltz hit his third shot into the green-side pond while replaying No. 18 and bogeyed. Del Negro, meanwhile, hit it to the fringe on the par five in two shots, and made his birdie put to give him his first win in his 20th appearance in the tournament. He’s the first basketball player to win the event.

Barkley, the Hall of Fame NBA star who played on the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team” and is currently a preeminent analyst for Turner Sports, upped the stakes for himself this week, placing a $100,000 bet on himself to finish in the top 70, with 5-to-1 odds. He just missed, finishing tied for 76th.

Fan capacity this year was limited from the usual 62,000 attendees in 2019 to roughly 24,000 this year, not including those on the beach along the final two holes who can watch for free. Media covering the event had to show proof of vaccination and there were no masks in sight.

Walking around Edgewood worry free offered a sense of normalcy that few will take for granted after what we’ve experienced since spring 2020. The smaller crowd made it easier to get around a slightly less hectic, but that’s surely to change in 2022, when COVID-19 is expected to be further in society’s rear-view mirror.

The smaller crowds made things more intimate. For example, Curry had a member of his entourage toss signed golf balls to kids in the middle of his round so he could focus on hitting his 280-yard driving iron off the tee. A few Golden State Warriors fans following Curry would reiterate the thought Curry would win a championship and Finals MVP next season with Klay Thompson back from injury. Curry’s response: a subtle smile, head nod and quietly saying, “Appreciate the support.”

There was also some 49ers flavor to the event. Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Steve Young were back as regular attendees. Current kicker Robbie Gould, a minus-1 handicap, has been attending for more than a decade. His father is his usual caddie, but was unavailable this week, allowing right tackle Mike McGlinchey to carry his bag. Some who didn’t immediately recognize the 2018 first-round pick called McGlinchey (6-foot-8 and nearly 300 pounds) the biggest caddie they’d ever seen.

With McGlinchey at his side, there was plenty of beef in Gould’s Friday threesome. He was paired with Los Angeles Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth, a bomber off the tee with the precision to hit bladed irons, and former Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams, who might be the best former defensive lineman to swing the sticks.

That sounds hyperbolic, but Williams finished second in the event last year and has a short game to rival anyone in the field. On No. 2 Friday, his 11th hole of the day, he yanked his tee shot left just off the left side of the first green in the rough. From there, his approach shot up, the hill, over the modest gallery, gave him a birdie putt, which he sunk for the best save of the round.

Actor Jack Wagner, known for soap operas such as “General Hospital,” “Melrose Place” and more, is the only non-athlete to win the event, having done so twice. He entered Sunday in third place and finished fifth.

Former NHL star Mike Modano briefly held the lead after Friday after an albatross on 18, the first in the event’s 32-year history. He holed out from roughly 200 yards on the par 5, giving him 10 points on his scorecard.

The event uses modified Stableford scoring, with a par earning a point, a birdie earning three points, eagle six points, eight points for a hole in one and 10 points for double eagle. A bogey nets zero points.

The scoring system allows for players to be aggressive and try to for as many birdies and eagles as possible, unlike regular PGA Tour events in which stroke play is used.

Yet, unlike PGA Tour events, there’s a sense of relatability in the field. Everyone competing (with the exception of Annika Sorenstam, the best woman golfer in history) plays golf as a hobby, much like many of the attendees have since the pandemic gripped the world over the past 16 months.

Which, in addition to beautiful setting, the beer and the bathing suits, help prove how much of an outlet the American Century Championship can be for all involved.