Former ACC champions Tony Romo and Mardy Fish, along with the NBA’s Austin Reaves and NHL’s Joe Pavelski, are favorites to win the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament, according to Caesars Sportsbook odds released Monday.
The July 12-14 tournament at Edgewood Tahoe will also include both Kelce brothers. Travis (200/1) is predicted to place better than his older brother Jason (350/1) in Jason’s first year playing the ACC.
Fish, the 2020 champion, is favored to win with 5/2 odds, followed by Romo (15/4). Fish placed second last year behind champion Stephen Curry. The Warriors point guard won’t defend his title this year; he’ll be playing for Team USA at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Romo, the former All-Pro quarterback and now NFL TV analyst, is a three-time ACC champion, winning in 2018, 2019 and 2022.
The third choice on the board is first-time participant Austin Reaves, the Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard, who declared himself the best golfer in the NBA last year. Reaves sits at 5/1, ahead of Dallas Stars center Joe Pavelski (11/2), who was knocked out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the semifinals a few weeks ago.
At 6/1 are Hall of Fame pitcher and baseball TV analyst John Smoltz and three-time American Century Champion (2015-17) Mark Mulder, the former All-Star pitcher for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals.
Former star NBA player and head coach Vinny Del Negro, the 2021 tournament champion, sits at 18/1.
Actor Jack Wagner, a two-time American Century Champion (2006, 2011), is listed at 35/1.
Charles Barkley is the longest shot on the board at 7500/1. Caesars Sportsbook also has a proposition bet on Barkley, offering the opportunity to wager that he will finish in the top 75 of the 90-plus player field.
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Annika Sorenstam is at 7/1 as she plays in her fifth American Century Championship. She has four top-six finishes over the years.
Other prominent golfers and their odds to win include NFL quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers (28/1) and first-time participants Trevor Lawrence (350/1) and Joe Flacco (150/1). Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson is listed at 125/1. Rodgers finished fifth in the 2023 tournament, his best performance to date.
Some of the top-performing entertainment stars participating in this year’s championship are country music singer Jake Owen (28/1), celebrity chef Bobby Flay (150/1) and America’s Funniest Home Videos host Alfonso Ribeiro (175/1). Owen and Ribeiro placed in the top 25 last year.