SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – NBC Sports and American Century Investments jointly announced today a multi-year extension of one of the most prolific partnerships in professional sports – the American Century Championship – to run through 2029, the tournament’s 40^th anniversary. The new agreement marks one of the longest title sponsor extensions in golf and comes as the 2023 event kicks off at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course this week, celebrating American Century’s 25^th year as title sponsor of the American Century Championship. Now in its 34^th year, the American Century Championship is owned, operated and produced by NBC Sports.

“As we celebrate our 25^th anniversary of the American Century Championship this week with our partners NBC, Edgewood Tahoe and the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, I can’t think of a better way to kick off this year’s event and look to the future than by sharing the exhilarating news of our continued commitment to this great championship, which has become the gold standard of celebrity golf tournaments,” said Jonathan Thomas, President and CEO of American Century Investments. “Our longtime partnership with the event is an ideal platform to share our incredible story where 40 percent of our profits fund research to find cures and treatments for cancer and other gene-based diseases. In addition, the event serves as the perfect backdrop for fundraising activities that benefit local and national charities.”

“Over the last 25 years with American Century Investments, the American Century Championship has grown into one of the most sought-after events of the summer for our players and one of the most popular events in golf on an annual basis,” said Jon Miller, President, Acquisitions and Partnerships, NBC Sports. “We’ve developed a tremendous relationship of mutual support through the years to build this championship into what it is today, and we look forward to continue growing this partnership for many years to come.”

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“Besides it being our largest sporting event of the summer, this tournament represents a special bond, trust and friendship among the various partners: NBC, American Century, the LTVA, Edgewood, our resorts and the local community,” said Carol Chaplin, President and CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. “It’s impactful as far as creating awareness of the destination and its sustainability initiatives, benefiting the local economy through visitation, as well as support for local charitable organizations. Plus, it accurately reflects our brand of ‘Awe and then Some.”

Upon the extension of the ACC’s contract through it’s 40th anniversary, Miller reflects on how far the tournament has come in the past several decades, and how the tournament initially started back in 1990.

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“From the beginning, we knew that golf and celebrities were a pretty potent combination,” Miller said during a press conference. “We came up with this idea to bring athletes and entertainers together to play in a golf tournament, but not a hit-and-giggle or a scramble type of event, but an event that is run the way a PGA event would be run.”

The first year of the tournament, 48 players competed, with roughly 3,500 spectators that attended the event. Players that competed that first year included prominent NFL quarterbacks John Elway, Dan Marino, and Mark Rypien; and NBA all-star Michael Jordan.

With the ACC extending contract through 2029, Chaplin notes the positive influence that the annual tournament has on the South Lake Tahoe community overall.

“This is an incredible event for us every year, the community just comes alive in a different way, and we get so many opportunities to talk to our potential visitors and our return visitors and everybody around the world and across the country about this great destination and this great event, which has taken on a life of its own,” Chaplin said during a press conference.

Chaplin continued, summarizing that with the collaboration of NBC Sports and American Century, the event has “evolved into its own ecosystem,” offering fun experiences on the 17th Hole, along with other unique experiences; keeping people coming back each year.

Chaplin also notes that the economic impact of the event is a positive for the South Lake Tahoe community as well.

“We have American Century every year. It’s the event that keeps on giving all year long,” Chaplin said. “We have so many charities that are the beneficiaries every year here in town, and they know the name of American Century and they know what it does for our community and other communities across the country.”

Chaplin also touched on the positive influx of business that the tournament provides to the local community’s businesses as well, stating that almost all the hotel rooms in the South Lake Tahoe area are filled this week.

“The economic impact for this week is over $30 million, and we see that,” Chaplin said. “We get to talk about Visit Lake Tahoe, which is our new brand that launched last year. We get to talk about everything you can do and see in the destination. And of course, outdoor recreation and entertainment is at the core of that brand, and that’s what this event is. There couldn’t be anything that’s more in sync with what we’re trying to tell potential visitors about why to come here.”

With the exposure that the ACC tournament provides each year and will continue to provide in the years to come, the tournament also has an overall positive influence on further pushing sustainability in the Lake Tahoe region.

“It’s important to us to find that balance between the economy and our residents and our visitors, and this gives us a platform to talk about that in a meaningful way, and help people understand why these places are so special,” Chaplin said. “This is why American Century and NBC come back every year, and what they can do when they come here to vacation responsibly and help us keep this really a wonderful place to visit.”

NBC, GOLF Channel and Peacock will televise coverage Friday-Sunday, July 14-16, with NBC Sports surrounding tournament coverage all week to deliver robust linear and digital coverage.

American Century Championship Tournament Airtimes
Friday, July 14  Peacock   4-6 p.m. ET / 1-3 p.m. PT (Live)
Friday, July 14  GOLF Channel  9:30-11:30 p.m. ET / 6:30-8:30 p.m. PT
Saturday, July 15  NBC, Peacock  2:30-6 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. PT (Live)
Sunday, July 16  NBC. Peacock  2:30-6 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. PT (Live)

The 2023 American Century Championship will feature 93 stars across sports and entertainment, including Hall of Famers from the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB – active and retired players – as well as Hollywood actors, comedians and entertainers. The three-day, 54-hole tournament takes place Friday-Sunday, July 14-16 and includes a $600,000 purse, with $125,000 going to the winner, plus a charity component for local and national non-profits.

What began modestly as replacement programming for NBC in 1990, the American Century Championship is the nation’s longest running celebrity golf tournament and is widely recognized as one of the premier events in golf. The American Century Championship has donated more than $7 million to a number of national and local charities. The Stowers Institute for Medical Research is the official national beneficiary. Established in 1994 by American Century Investments founder James Stowers Jr., and his wife, Virginia, the Institute is a biomedical research organization that focuses on improving human health through basic research.

For more information on the American Century Championship, visit @ACChampionship on Twitter and Instagram, and Facebook, and online at http://www.AmericanCenturyChampionship.com.