Romo overtakes Pavelski for win; Curry ties for 11th
STATELINE, Nev. — Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo rallied from four points back to win his first American Century Championship title Sunday.
Romo, who retired after the 2016 NFL season and is now an NFL analyst for CBS, had 27 points on the day under a modified Stableford scoring system to beat three-time defending champion Mark Mulder and Sharks captain Joe Pavelski, the leader after the first two rounds.
“It’s a special win,” said Romo, who had finished second three times in seven previous trips to the annual celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. “It feels like you’re playing a tournament back home here. The day felt good for a lot of reasons.”
Romo tapped in for par, worth one point, on the 18th hole to finish with 71 points, three ahead of Mulder, the former A’s pitcher. Romo then caught a flight to Berlin, Wis., where he was to compete in a 36-hole U.S. Amateur qualifying tournament on Monday.
Pavelski had a 7-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th that could have tied Romo, but it slid by the cup. Pavelski finished with 66 points, tied for third with Ray Allen, who will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Sept. 7.
“It feels like nothing went in for me today,” Pavelski said, “but I couldn’t ask for more than to have that putt to tie on the last hole.”
Rounding out the top five were former 49ers quarterback Trent Dilfer and former tennis player Mardy Fish. Each had 62 points.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who fell out of contention with a mediocre round Saturday, finished in a tie for 11th with 50 points and jumped into Lake Tahoe amidst much fanfare after losing a bet to his father, Dell. The elder Curry jumped into the lake last year, so he negotiated a 20-point handicap and won by two points.
Dell Curry had 32 points, and Curry nearly holed out for birdie from about 140 yards on the final hole to tie his father, but had to settle for a tap-in par, and it was his turn to take a dip.
Minutes later, he took off his shoes and he and his caddie, Bryant Barr, a teammate of Curry’s at Davidson College, jumped into Tahoe and swam to a nearby boat.
“It was pretty cold, but actually it was refreshing,” Stephen Curry said. “I just don’t want to go in ever again.”
Romo plays as an amateur, so his $125,000 first-place check from the $600,000 purse will go to local charities and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, the primary charitable arm of title sponsor American Century Investments.
Other notable players in the 92-player field included John Smoltz, the Hall of Fame pitcher who two weeks ago competed in the U.S. Senior Open and finished 10th here with 53 points; actor Jack Wagner (16th, 47 points); Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (tied for 18th, 44 points); actor Ray Romano (tied for 71st, minus-26 points); comedian Larry the Cable Guy (tied for 77th, minus-33 points); and former NBA forward Charles Barkley, who finished alone in last with minus-93 points.
The event’s modified Stableford scoring system rewards points for eagles (six), birdies (three) and pars (one) and deducts points (two) for double bogeys or worse. Bogeys are worth zero points.
The tournament drew 57,097 fans for the week, setting an attendance record for the fourth straight year.