Great Golf Breaks Out Now and Again at Tahoe's Annual Celeb-Fest

By Vic Williams | Photo Courtesy Bob Solorio | Posted July 25, 2009

Now that Tiger is out of the British Open, can we get back to the more important event on the golf calendar at this moment? I'm referring, of course, to the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Edgewood Tahoe, celebrating (amazingly) its 20th anniversary on the gorgeous alpine lake's south shore. I've been there for all of them, the last 11 for FG, and there's one thing about this event that's beyond argument: The more things change, the more they stay the same. And they always, always satisfy.

Once again the usual suspects are lighting up the leader board after a windless, warm Day One, while a few FG favorites are doing their part to keep the rear guard bent over with laughter. King Charles Barkley, the de facto Patrone-ordering host of the event, was striping 180-yard 7-irons on the range, only to revert to his pre-Hank Haney form once he hit the first tee (where he was honored for donating $50,000 to a local fire reforestation fund). Backswing-hitch-hitch-hit-ugly result: That's his damaged-beyond-repair swing thought, forever and ever, amen. (BTW, he's currently waxing anti-poetic on the patio outside the media room.) At any rate, expect Charles to be very near the bottom of the scoring back by Sunday afternoon, only to be "beaten" by Chuck Liddell, who reportedly picked up his first golf club only three weeks ago. Other stars undoubtedly destined for negative figures (not a good thing in modified Stableford) are future FG cover subject Kevin Baumgartner, whose shaky short game offsets a very good iron game, and past cover boy Daniel Negreanu, who checked his poker face at the door and is enjoying himself immensely.

The leaders are pretty much the guys you'd expect, with one relative newcomer threatening to steal defending champion and multi-winner Rick Rhoden's thunder: Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo. He leads with 27 points, two up on Rhoden, three up on Grant Fuhr and four up on Trent Dilfer. Vinny Testaverde, former winner Billy Joe Tolliver and perennial contender Pierre Larouche are in the mix. If the weather holds and the winds stay down, look for a record number of points no matter who gets hot.

Then there's retired running back Marshall Faulk, who scored his sixth career ace at the 17th hole, the event's first in a decade, when Dan Janssen dunked one at No. 5. While FG followed Michael Jordan, Ray Allen and Penny Hardaway at No. 3, the roar came from over Tahoe way, and we knew something special had gone down.

"It just spun back and went in," Faulk said, nursing a beer and tallying a bar tab of well over $2K that he said he'd share with American Century. "I was the last guy to go crazy because I was just holding the pose and looking around like, 'Did that go in?'" That was the definite highlight of an otherwise forgettable round by the former linebacker-busting speed demon. He racked up only 11 points for the day. "I missed a lot of putts." Not on 17, he didn't. The cover stayed on that puppy for a change.

But the biggest story overall at the American Century continues to be the fans, most of whom couldn't care less about golf. They're in the game for an autograph, a handshake, a smile, a comment from inside the ropes that they'll cherish always. "I come every year," said beach beauty Kristin Pocock of Orange County, Calif., who hangs at the same stretch of No. 17 each day and has a hard time choosing her go-to celeb. "They're all good, they all look good," she said. "But really, Emmitt Smith is my favorite."

Memo to Emmitt: Seek her out tomorrow and have a souvenir ready. She's worth the visit.

Vic Williams is editor and publishing partner of Fairways + Greens, a bi-monthly magazine dedicated to golf, travel and lifestyle for the West and beyond. He has written thousands of stories on golf and will cover every facet of the game right here, primarily travel but also the major tours, equipment, personalities and more. Contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it