Photo provided by Dalton Drum
It’s official: Steph Curry will splash down at Lake Tahoe to compete again at the American Century Championship.
Earlier this month, the sharpshooting point guard won his third NBA Championship ring as a member of the Golden State Warriors.
A year ago, Curry showed that he can get hot in golf as well as basketball. He had a superb final round at Tahoe Edgewood to finish in fourth place for the second time in six celebrity golf tournament appearances at Lake Tahoe.
The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player has been passionate about golf ever since he played for his high school golf team. He was spotted on the links between games of the NBA finals, reportedly shooting two rounds of 71.
With a pro exemption, Curry competed in Web.com Tour event last August, shooting impressive back-to-back rounds of 74. He missed the cut but finished ahead of three pros.
Dell Curry, Steph’s father and a former Utah Jazz guard, will compete at Tahoe, as well. After his son posted a better score a year ago, Dell Curry made good on a bet and dove into the lake.
“My caddie made that wager … so I was not a part of that bet making, but I had to live up to the bet that was made,” Dell Curry said last week during a telephone news conference. “I don’t know what (the bet) will be this year. But it will be some kind of wager between us, for sure.
Father Curry beat Steph, 29-28, in 2016. (The Stableford scoring system is used in the tournament, meaning the higher scores are better.) The father and son were tied after one round in 2017 but Steph got hot and posted a final score of 68.
“He turned it on,” Dell Curry said. “He plays like that. He plays a lot ‑‑ he doesn’t get a chance to practice a lot, but he has a really good feel. He can have those (days) where he can put two or three rounds together in a setting like you have at Tahoe.”
Oddsmakers list Curry at 15-1 to win the tourney. Dell Curry is 40-1. Three-time defending champ Mark Mulder is 5-2. Earlier this year, John Smoltz (10-1) became the third Tahoe celebrity golf tournament player to qualify for the U.S. Senior Open. The other two were John Brodie and eight-time winner Rick Rhoden.
The 29th American Century Championship will be July 13-15 and broadcast on NBC.
The field includes 16 Hall of Famers from various sports as well as current NFL stars Aaron Rodgers, Larry Fitzgerald, Jared Goff, Adam Thielen, Alex Smith, Robbie Gould and Golden Tate, as well as Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer.
Two more golfers could be added to the field, Weidinger Public Relations spokeswoman Shannon Graves said.
Pitbull will perform Friday, July 13, at Harveys Outdoor Arena. And Larry the Cable Guy, who will be in the tournament, will perform at MontBleu on Saturday, July 14.
-Tim Parsons
Related story: LPGA’s Natalie Gulbis is 10-1 to win ACC.
Related story: Celebrity golfer Trevor Hoffman to enter Baseball Hall of Fame.
Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage
Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage
- American Century Championship
July 13-15
Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course
The Early Line
Mark Mulder 5/2
Tony Romo 3/1
Marty Fish 5/1
Eric Gagne 8/1
John Smoltz 10/1
Jack Wagner 12/1
Mark Rypien 12/1
Jeremy Roenick 12/1
Derek Lowe 15/1
Stephen Curry 15/1
Trent Dilfer 20/1
John Elway 20/1
Mike Modano 20/1
Joe Pavelsky 20/1
Sterling Sharpe 25/1
Brian Urlacher 25/1
Vinny Del Negro 30/1
Joe Carter 30/1
Aaron Rodgers 30/1
Case Keenum 30/1
Colt Ford 30/1
Also notable
Alfonso Ribeiro 40/1
Del Curry 40/1
Jeffy Rice 40/1
Roger Clemens 60/1
Trevor Hoffman 60/1
Urban Meyer 100/1
Terrell Davis 500/1
Marcus Allen 500/1
Dan Quayle 500/1
Steve Young 2000/1
Kathryn Tappen 2000/1
Charles Barkley 6000/1
