Four-time NHL All-Star Joe Pavelski rallied from a tough start to defeat John Smoltz and 88 other celebrities and win his first American Century Championship celebrity tournament Sunday at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.
It was the cherry on top of a memorable week for Pavelski, who turned 41 on Friday and celebrated his 17th wedding anniversary with wife Sarah on Saturday.
“I don’t know what to say, actually,” stated Pavelski, who had the tournament won after the 17th hole but eagled the par-5 18th anyway and finished with 74 points, nine clear of Smoltz. “But just an amazing week. This place is incredible. It means the world to me.”
Pavelski, who retired last summer and entered the 36th annual tournament with three straight top-three finishes, went double-bogey, bogey to open his round. But he followed that with two quick birdies and finished with a tournament-best 4-under-par 68, matched only by Smoltz’s Sunday round.
“I think, coming into the round today, I felt really confident about my game,” said Pavelski, who went 7-under over his final 16 holes and won $150,000 of the $750,000 purse. “It’s going to sound stupid, but I hit two fairly decent shots on one and make a double bogey, and hit two fairly decent shots on number two and make a bogey. I was just kind of searching for it, scratch my head a little bit and try to tell myself to be patient, there’s a lot of golf left. And the birdie on 3 was huge.”
The tournament uses a modified Stableford scoring system that rewards points for eagles (6), birdies (3) and pars (1). Bogeys are 0 points and a double-bogey or worse is minus-2.
Smoltz, a former pitcher who spent most of his 21-year career with the Atlanta Braves, needed an eagle on the par-5 18th to have a chance, but his third-shot chip from about 25 yards fell inches short. “I needed to play a clean round. It wouldn’t have mattered anyways the way Joe played and finished,” said Smoltz, who has competed in PGA Tour Champions (over 50) Tour events and has five top-five finishes in 16 years at the ACC. “I was trying to put heat on anybody, the top three. I was just trying to climb as many people as I could.”
Country music star Jake Owen finished alone in third with 62 points, followed by former soccer pro Taylor Twellman (61), who was tied with Pavelski for the lead after the second round. 2023 winner Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors guard, rounded out the top five (58).
Charles Barkley, the NBA hall of famer, followed his best-ever round on Friday with a couple of tough rounds and finished 69th, meaning those who bet on him to finish among the top 65 at sports wagering outlets lost their bet.
A handful of former champions made the top 10 – former pitcher Mark Mulder (57), a three-time winner; LPGA great Annika Sorenstam (55), three-time winner and former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (54); and defending champion Mardy Fish, a former tennis pro (53) and two-time winner here. Actor Michael Peña (51) finished 10th.
The 36th annual tournament has raised over $8 million for charity.
