SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — After two rounds of play at the American Century Championship, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry finds himself in new territory, leading for the first time heading into Sunday’s final round.

Curry came into Saturday atop the leaderboard and stayed there by making tournament history with the first hole-in-one on the par-3, seventh hole.

“That was wild … that looks crazy on the scorecard, I just saw the 1,” said Curry, following Saturday’s round. “It was good contact. It was right on the stick. Even if you’re painting the flag and it looks good, you never really expect it to go in.”

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The two-time NBA MVP pulled out his pitching wedge for the 152-yard hole at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course and watched as the crowd erupted when the ball bounced into the cup.

“All I just saw was a bunch of hands go up, and then you just kind of blackout and celebrate a crazy shot, especially in a tournament like this in that atmosphere,” said Curry. “I’m still coming down from the adrenaline rush. That was nuts.”

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Curry, who has golfed since he was a youngster, said the hole-in-one was the second he’s ever made.

“Definitely the best golf moment I’ve had,” added Curry, who sprinted from the tee box down to the green after realizing his ball had gone in.”

The ace is the fifth in tournament history. The last hole-in-one at the American Century Championship was by former NHL player Joe Sakic in 2011.

After the seventh hole, however, Curry would struggle with bogeys on holes eight and 11, followed by a double bogey on hole 12. He’d finish with the fourth best round of the day with 23 points for a two-day total of 50 points and a three-point lead going into Sunday’s final 18 holes.

Former tennis great Mardy Fish had the best round of the day, finishing with 29 points under the Modified Stableford scoring format. Fish rolled in six birdies compared to one bogey, and finished the day with a 5-under-par 67 for the best round of the tournament, thus far. He sits in a tie for second with 47 points.

“This is a great round of golf for me,” said Fish, who won the tournament in 2020. “To shoot a 67 and I don’t play a whole lot of golf, so a 67 is a good score.”

Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski also sits at 47 points after the third best round of the day. Pavelski piled up 24 points and sank four birdies compared to two bogies on the day.

“I definitely felt good out there today,” said Pavelski. “I hit the ball better right from the start … it was just an awesome round out there. The crowd was amazing.”

Former MLB pitcher Mark Mulder had the second best round of the day with 28 points, rebounding from a 10-point showing on Friday to climb into a tie for fourth place.

“I just had a really terrible day yesterday, but that’s golf,” said Mulder. “I knew things would change today. I didn’t necessarily get myself back into it today, but at least I gave myself a chance.”

Actor Jack Wagner is tied for fourth place with 38 points, followed by former NFL running back Marshall Faulk with 37 points, and singer Jake Owen in seventh place with 37 points.

Betting favorite and defending champion Tony Romo goes into tomorrow’s final round in a tie for 12^th place with 32 points. NBA legend Charles Barkley is in a tie for 81^st and is 15 points behind 70^th place. One of the most popular bets at Caesars Sportsbook this weekend is whether Barkley can finish in the top-70.

The final round of the tournament will get underway Sunday at 7:36 a.m.

Justin Scacco is a reporter for the Sierra Sun, a sister publication of the Tribune.