3-time American Century Champion Mark Mulder tops leader board at Tahoe celebrity tourney
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Sun, 07/10/2022 - 7:38am
STATELINE — Three-time champion Mark Mulder used a 30-foot eagle putt on the 16th hole to surge into the lead and then finished with a three-point edge over 2020 champion Mardy Fish in the second round of the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament at Lake Tahoe.
Adam Thielen and Derek Lowe moved into a tie for third ahead of Tony Romo and Mike Modano as the competition among current and former sports stars headed toward the final round on Sunday. First-round leader T.J. Oshie and defending champion Vinny Del Negro both slipped back in the field, Oshie to a tie at ninth place, and Del Negro in 20th, tied with Steph Curry. World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam fell to seventh place.
Mulder, the former star pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Oakland A’s, will try to replicate his consecutive triumphs in 2015-17 on Sunday.
“Í feed off the fans and the energy,” said Mulder about his 25-point performance in front of post-pandemic galleries likely to exceed 50,000 by the end of the week. “I’ve been here before. I know that pars aren’t going to win it. It all depends on putting and I’m putting well.”
Fish, the former top-ranked American tennis player, and the U.S. Davis Cup Captain holed an eight-footer on 18 to get to 42 points, well within reach of Mulder’s 45 with the modified Stableford scoring system.
“I’m playing way better than in 2020, so my confidence is good going into tomorrow,” said Fish.
Thielen, the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver, and Lowe, the former Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox standout pitcher, are at 38 points. Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and now CBS NFL analyst, and Modano, the former National Hockey League standout, have 37 points each.
Steph Curry, the NBA Finals MVP for the World Champion Golden State Warriors, stands in 20th place, and golf personality Paige Spiranac with 24 points.
Charles Barkley, the TNT NBA analyst whose shaky golf game is a popular topic among celebrities and fans, stands in 73rd place with minus 18 points.
The players are competing for $600,000 in prize money. The tournament has raised $6 million for charity over the years.
The Leaderbord
1 - Mark Mulder - 25 - 45
2 - Mardy Fish - 27 - 42
T3 - Adam Thielen - 20 - 38
T3 - Derek Lowe - 22 - 38
T5 - Tony Romo - 19 - 37
T5 - Mike Modano - 19 - 37
T7 - Annika Sorenstam - 15 - 35
T7 - Joe Pavelski - 22 - 35
T9 - T.J. Oshie - 21 - 13 - 34
T9 - Faulk, Marshall - 17 - 17 - 34
The final round gets underway Sunday at Edgewood at 7:44 a.m. For pairing sheets, visit https://americancenturychampionship.com/player-pairings/. Television coverage starts Sunday, July 10 on NBC, Peacock - 2:30-6 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. PT.
