Stephen Curry, Aaron Rodgers and Tony Romo Headline All-Star Field at The 2018 American Century Cham
Field of 92 Players – MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL Hall of Famers Join Entertainment Personalities Competing for a $600,000 Purse
NBC Sports Group to Provide Weeklong Comprehensive Coverage of the Nation’s Premier Celebrity Golf Tournament across NBCUniversal Television and Digital Platforms
ORLANDO, Fla. — NBC Sports Group this week will provide comprehensive on air and digital coverage of the nation’s premier celebrity golf tournament, the American Century Championship, taking place at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Lake Tahoe. A field of 92 participants from the world of sports and entertainment will compete in the three-day tournament, vying for a $600,000 purse. NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) will air the opening round on Friday, July 13 from 3-5 p.m. ET, followed by coverage on NBC Saturday and Sunday, July 14 and 15, from 3-6 p.m. ET.
STEPHEN CURRY, AARON RODGERS AND TONY ROMO HEADLINE STAR-STUDDED CELEBRITY FIELD: Reigning NBA champion / two-time Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry, six-time NFL Pro-Bowler and current Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and four-time NFL Pro-Bowler Tony Romo headline the star-studded field at the American Century Championship. Curry, who finished 4th in both 2013 and 2017, will be making his sixth appearance. Rodgers, who finished 8th in 2017, will be making his 14th consecutive appearance, and Romo, who has finished second three times at this event (2009-11), will be making his fifth appearance.
Joining them in the 92-player field include Pro Football Hall-of-Famers Jerome Bettis, Tim Brown, Jerry Rice, Steve Young and newly-elected Brian Urlacher; MLB Hall-of-Famers Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz – who competed in the U.S. Senior Open earlier this summer; Basketball Hall-of-Famers Ray Allen and Charles Barkley and actors/comedians Larry the Cable Guy, Kevin Nealon and Ray Romano. Three-time defending champion and former MLB All-Star pitcher Mark Mulder will look to become the first player to win this event four consecutive years. For a complete list of players, click HERE.
WORLD LONG DRIVE CHAMPION JUSTIN JAMES IN FIELD: New for 2018, as a result of winning the 2017 Volvik World Long Drive Championship, reigning champion and current No. 1 in the World Long Drive rankings Justin James will compete in the American Century Championship. James captured the world championship last September with a 435-yard drive in the final round of the competition.
13 FIRST-TIME PARTICIPANTS: Joining James as first-time participants in the American Century Championship include Bret Baier, Reggie Bush, Vince Carter, Johnny Damon, Larry Fitzgerald, Ben Higgins, Case Keenum, Kyle Lowry, Sean Payton, Tim Simons, Miles Teller and DeMarcus Ware.
ICONIC CLARET JUG ON-SITE AT AMERICAN CENTURY CHAMPIONSHIP: Ahead of The 147th Open taking place at Carnoustie Golf Links next week, the Claret Jug – golf’s oldest trophy – will be on-site at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course on Wednesday, July 11. The Claret Jug will be stationed on the 8th tee throughout the day. Participants and fans are encouraged to share their experiences using the hashtag #ClaretJug on social media and tagging @TheOpen on Twitter and Instagram.
NBC SPORTS GROUP / NBCUNIVERSAL COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE
The networks within NBC Sports Group and NBCUniversal television and digital properties will provide week-long comprehensive coverage of the American Century Championship.
NBC SPORTS REGIONAL NETWORKS AND NBC LOCAL AFFILIATES SURROUND COVERAGE: Leading up to Friday’s opening round, NBC Sports Regional Networks and NBC affiliates across the country will prepare viewers for live coverage with interviews from Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course with players in the field Wednesday and Thursday.
EXPANDED DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE: Social media correspondent Nikki Bondura will contribute to Golf Channel and NBC Sports’ social media and digital platforms with exclusive behind-the-scenes content from Edgewood Tahoe throughout tournament week. NBCSN and NBC tournament coverage also will integrate social media during 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 GolfChannel.com and NBCSports.com as well as on the Golf Channel app and 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 exclusive behind-the-scenes photos, interviews, video clips, up-to-date news reports and highlights at @NBCSports, @GolfChannel and @ACChampionship.
NBC SPORTS RADIO ON-SITE AT EDGEWOOD TAHOE: NBC Sports Radio will broadcast seven shows commencing from the driving range at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course Thursday-Sunday:
Under Center with Mark Malone
Thursday and Friday
7-10 p.m. ET
Going Deep with Dan Schwartzman
Thursday and Friday
10 p.m.-1 a.m. ET
The Safety Blitz
Saturday
7-9 a.m. ET
Jim Daniels Show
Saturday and Sunday
Noon-3 p.m. ET
CNBC LIVE FROM AMERICAN CENTURY: Dominic Chu, CNBC’s markets reporter, will report and contribute to CNBC’s news shows with live interviews on Thursday from the American Century Championship.
GOLF CHANNEL MORNING DRIVE AND GOLF CENTRAL NEWS COVERAGE: Golf Channel’s signature news shows Morning Drive and Golf Central will provide wraparound news coverage from the American Century Championship with pre-tournament interviews and weekend reports from NBC Sports’ broadcast team.
NBC BROADCAST TEAM: Host Steve Sands and analyst Peter Jacobsen will anchor coverage from the 18th tower at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. They will be joined by Jimmy Roberts in an outer tower position, along with Notah Begay and Charlie Rymer reporting from inside the ropes. Heather Cox will conduct interviews with celebrities and athletes from the picturesque par-3 17th hole at Edgewood Tahoe.
American Century Championship Live Tournament Airtimes
Friday, July 13
NBCSN
3-5 p.m. ET / Noon-2 p.m. PT (Live)
Saturday, July 14
NBC
3-6 p.m. ET / Noon-3 p.m. PT (Live)
Sunday, July 15
NBC
3-6 p.m. ET / Noon-3 p.m. PT (Live)
TOURNAMENT FORMAT: Tournament scoring is based on a modified Stableford format with 10 points for a double eagle, 8 for a hole-in-one, 6 for eagle, 3 for birdie, 1 for par, 0 for bogey, and minus 2 for double-bogey or higher. The celebrities will play 54-holes over the 6,846-yard lakeside course at Edgewood.
