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Tony Romo will return to Lake Tahoe to defend celebrity golf title

Tony Romo hoists this year’s American Century Championship trophy on Sunday, July 15,
Justin Scacco / jscacco@sierrasun.com

It’s official: Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and prominent NFL analyst Tony Romo will return to Lake Tahoe this summer to defend his title in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament.

Romo was one of two favorites identified by the Harrah’s and Harveys Race & Sports Book Wednesday morning. The other co-favorite if former MLB pitcher John Smoltz. Both men are listed at 3-1 for the 30th annual competition, slated for Friday-Sunday, July 12-14.

Both played in PGA TOUR events this spring and will compete with the best players in the world again before July, a clear advantage in the eyes of oddsmakers, according to a press release.



The other top contenders at Lake Tahoe are former MLB pitcher and three-time champion Mark Mulder (7-2) and former top-ranked American tennis player Mardy Fish (8-1).

“Tony Romo and John Smoltz competing against the likes of Graeme McDowell, Aaron Baddeley, Mark O’Meara and Steve Stricker is a major factor in establishing the betting line,” Harrah’s Sports Book Manager Dave Cudney, who authors the odds for the legal gambling marketplace each year, said in a press release. “It’s not necessarily a two-man battle because there are three other former champions in the field (Mulder, Mark Rypien, Jack Wagner), but Smoltz and Romo will be extremely tough to beat.” 



Smoltz is looking for his first win in 10 tries at Lake Tahoe. Earlier this year he surprised the golf world at the PGA TOUR Champions Cologuard Classic where he finished 53rd in the field of 76 players.

Smoltz is playing in the Mitsubishi Electric Classic April 19-21 and in the American Family Insurance Championship June 21-23.

Aside from having a breakout year in the broadcast booth, Romo won his first American Century Championship last summer after finishing second three times.

In late March, Romo played in the PGA TOUR’s Coral Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in the Dominican Republic.  Although he missed the cut, a video of an amazing recovery shot went viral.

Romo will play in the PGA TOUR’s AT&T Byron Nelson May 9-12.

Mulder competed in the PGA TOUR’s Safeway Open in 2018, shooting 75-74 en route to missing the cut. Smoltz, Romo and Mulder all play in the PGA Tour events as sponsor exemptions.

Others at the top of the sports wagering board for the American Century Championship include Joe Pavelski, captain of the San Jose Sharks, actor/entertainer Wagner (12-1), former NHL All-Star Jeremy Roenick (15-1), Washington Redskins Super Bowl 26 MVP Mark Rypien (15-1), former NBA All-Star Ray Allen (25-1) and former NFL All-Pro receiver Sterling Sharpe (25-1).

With sports betting now legal in eight states and anticipated in all but nine others, the tournament is expected to get increased attention from fans, according to a press release.

The annual tournament takes place at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. Competitors play a modified Stableford format. The contest features a $600,000 purse with $125,000 for the winner. The tournament also will raise money for the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a nonprofit research organization dedicated to improving human health through innovative study of diseases like cancer.

Tournament passes and day tickets are available at bit.ly/ACC19Tickets. Tournament pass tickets for July 9 – 14, Tuesday through Sunday, are available for $70. Daily tickets are $20 per day Tuesday through Thursday and 30$ for competitive rounds Friday through Sunday. Two kids 10-years-old and younger get free admission with a paying adult.

Additional information can be found at http://www.americancenturychampionship.com.


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