Fan favorite Justin Timberlake will be returning to Edgewood Tahoe and will be joined by several newcomers this summer for the annual American Century Championship.
Saturday Night Live’s Colin Jost, former NFL player and sports media personality Pat McAfee, WWE’s Mike “The Miz” Mezzanine and singer/songwriter Jake Owen were among those announced this week as newcomers to compete in the Celebrity Championship. Thirty-third golf, July 6-10 at the south shore of Lake Tahoe.
In addition to Timberlake, ACC veterans Charles Barkley and Larry the Cable Guy will return this summer to compete for $600,000 and raise charitable donations in the 54-hole championship.
ACC will broadcast nationwide Friday through Sunday (July 8-10), with GOLF broadcasting the opening round on Friday and NBC broadcasting live coverage on Saturday and Sunday.
Vinnie Del Negro, former NBA player and coach, will defend his title in 2021 against famous competitors such as Annika Sorenstam, one of the greatest professional golfers in history with 72 LPGA Tour and 8 Player of the Year awards; Mark Mulder, three-time ACC champ and former All-Star bowler at Oakland A and St. Louis Cardinals; Mardy Fish, 2020 Champion winner, former tennis star and current captain of the US Davis Cup team; and John Smoltz, MLB Hall of Fame player, 2018 US Open Senior qualifier and Fox MLB Analyst.
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A squad of 29 NFL superstars are on the field this year, including Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and QB Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders. Also active in the NFL players are Robbie Gold of the San Francisco 49ers, Adam Thelin, Harrison Smith and Patrick Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings.
This summer’s NFL Hall of Famers features Michael Strahan, Steve Young, Jerry Rice, Emmett Smith, Jerome Pettis, Terrell Davis, Brian Urlacher and Charles Woodson, as well as all former pros Larry Fitzgerald, DeMarcus Weir, Kyle Williams, Jim McMahon.
NBA Hall of Famers include Ray Allen and Barkley. defender of the hero del Negro; Current Miami Heat star Kyle Lowry and Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso. and former player Vince Carter, an eight-time All-Star and current ESPN Analyst.
Women currently working in the field include, in addition to Sorenstam, Dylan Dreyer, a meteorologist for NBC News and Today; Catherine Tabin, NBC sports anchor and on-air personality; and Keira K. Dixon, Golf Channel reporter and 2015 Miss America pageant.
The list of artists, actors, and comedians includes many familiar names, including Anthony Anderson, Alfonso Ribeiro, Michael Pena, Ray Romano, Rob Riggle, Brian Baumgartner, and John O’Herley.
Others include Jay D. Marcus, formerly of Rascal Flatts; Jason Schiff, former Chicago singer and bassist. Two-time champion and one of two originals, Jack Wagner, along with Jim McMahon, have played in all 32 of the U.S. Century Championships.
Former MLB players present this summer include Smoltz and fellow Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, CC Sabathia, Joe Mauer, Jimmy Rollins, Kevin Millar, Shane Victorino, Tim Wakefield and David Wells.
There are over 80 players on the field this summer, some of whom compete as amateurs and donate prize money to ACC-supported charities. Over the years, ACC has donated more than $5 million to nonprofits.
The additions to the field will be announced before the tournament in July. The current tournament field is available here.
Tickets are available at AmericanCenturyChampionship.com, with coaching session day tickets on Wednesday and celebrity buffs on Thursday priced at $30, and championship rounds Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at $40 per day. The pass for all five days is $90.
Jim Krajewski covers high school and youth sports in the Reno Gazette Journal. Follow him on Twitter Tweet embed. Support his work by subscribing to RGJ.com.