Now
101
Wed
104
Thu
105
by Chris Murray
TOPICS:
There is no more star-studded celebrity golf tournament on the calendar, but there are a couple of huge celebrities or athletes who haven't made their debut at the American Century Championship at Edgewood. So, let's get greedy. Here are 23 celebrities who haven't played in the Tahoe tournament that we'd like to see at a future event. Players are listed in alphabetical order.
Mookie Betts: The ACC has active NBA, NFL and NHL stars, but the schedule doesn't allow an active MLB player to be in the field. But this tournament is right around the All-Star break, and if one active MLB player could figure out how to make it all work out, it'd be Betts, the Dodgers star who seems to be able to do everything, including rolling multiple perfect 300 games in bowling.
Tom Brady: This biggest sports star (non-soccer division) yet to play in the ACC is an avid golfer, so it's a perfect fit. I think Brady will eventually play in this tournament despite him being a FOX star and this event being broadcast on NBC (which explains why so many NBC TV personalities are in the field). He's a realistic target who should have a lot more time on his hands now that he's enjoying retired life.
Snoop Dogg: The majority of the names on this list are more "celebrities" than "athletes," which is a good thing. The field is typically loaded with top athletes but could use more non-sports stars. How about aiming big for Snoop Dogg, who once said his goal was to make golf cool while playing in Augusta, Ga., home of the Masters Tournament. He'd be a cool addition to the field.
Kenny G: The saxophonist has played concerts in the Carson Valley, and he's a scratch golfer who's obsessed with the game. He could actually win the event if he was in the field.
Pau Gasol: The Spaniard has played in celebrity golf tournaments before and would add another Hall of Famer to the ACC's long list of sports elites.
Vince Gill: Gill is a scratch golfer and one of the best on the celebrity circuit. He thought about giving golf a go as a pro but ended up a record-setting country music star. He's been honored with the Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, given annually to an individual who has helped mold the welfare of the game.
Ryan Gosling: Gosling seems to shy away from the public when not starring in movies, so this one seems like an extreme long shot. But he's been known to golf and would add a megastar in the entertainment industry to the field. His old Mickey Mouse Club pal, Justin Timberlake, has played in the event a handful of times.
Samuel L. Jackson: Jackson is a septuagenarian, so it's unlikely he plays at the ACC as he'd be the oldest in this year's field. But the 75-year-old is a lover of the sport who has a single-digit handicap and once said golf is "a perfect game."
Dwayne Johnson: The Rock claims to have driven a ball 490 yards, which is just shy of the world record of 515 yards. It would be fun to see how far he could hit the ball at Tahoe's elevation. The longest shot in the ACC's long-drive contest history is 393 yards by Brian Kinchen in 2004. Travis Kelce won last year's contest with a 367-yard drive. Both were NFL tight ends. I'd like to see if The Rock, a former college defensive lineman, can best those marks.
Adam Levine: The lead singer of Maroon 5 is a golf fanatic who paid $18 million for a home at Los Angeles Country Club in 2017. "I will hit thousands of balls a day and wouldn’t even think twice about it," Levine once said of his love of golf. He also tweeted in 2011: "Just tried golf. Not gonna lie. It's totally awesome."
Matthew McConaughey: Alright! Alright! Alright! (I'd also like to point out "Alright" is not a real word. It's "All right." That's a grammatical pet peeve of mine.)
Bill Murray: For several years, the legendary actor has been atop the list of celebrities desired by Gary Quinn, vice president of NBC Sports Ventures, who helps run the tournament. "We've always gone after him, but after a while we stopped," Quinn said several years ago. "He plays Pebble Beach (a lot). He's a guy we'd love to get here. He's so good with the fans." The opportunity to lure the 73-year-old Murray has probably passed, but you never know.
Chuck Norris: Chuck Norris doesn't hit the ball in the hole. The ball runs away from Chuck Norris and hides in the hole.
Barack Obama: There's been a U.S. president in the field before in Donald Trump, although that was before he became POTUS. The tournament isn't against having politicians in the tournament. Ex-vice president Dan Quayle has played here several times. Obama is a sports fan, especially basketball and golf. While maintaining his safety with such a large crowd would be tough, if not impossible, getting Obama in the field would goose attendance.
Shaquille O'Neal: Shaq's TNT television partner, Charles Barkley, is an ACC regular, so maybe he could bring his 7-foot-1, 325-pound tag team partner in the near future. Shaq spoke at the 2018 Wolf Pack Governor's Dinner, and that speaker often plays in the ACC. Shaq once described his game as "Better than Barkley's, but awful." He also said he took $100,000 off Barkley on the course one time. I'd like to see the head-to-head pairing.
Buster Posey: The San Francisco Giants legend has played in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, so why not come over to the other side of the Sierra? Now retired, Posey should have some extra time on his hands and would be a big hit in Northern Nevada, which is Giants territory.
Condoleezza Rice: The former United States Secretary of State is a regular at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. She was one of the most prominent female leaders in the country, and the field could use more notable females (there are only four in this year's tournament). Rice was the first female member of Augusta National Golf Club, which hosts the Masters Tournament.
Adam Sandler: The ACC always has a handful of comedians in the field, but one funny guy it has never hosted is Sandler, who rose to stardom, in part, because of a golf movie, Happy Gilmore. Sandler admitted many years ago he accepts movie roles based on vacation destinations. There are few places more scenic than Lake Tahoe in the summer.
Will Smith: One of the world's most famous humans, Smith starred in The Legend of Bagger Vance, so he's got to know something about golf. With famous stars like Justin Timberlake and Nick Jonas not appearing in recent years, Smith could fill their role as a double-threat (music and acting) megastar.
Harry Styles: Styles is said to have a 13 or 14 handicap and recently joined a club that costs around $120,000 a year. We'll get him a couple of free rounds at Edgewood.
Taylor Swift: Famously, Swift is dating Travis Kelce, who is a regular at the ACC and arguably the face of this year's tournament since it lacks defending champ Steph Curry, among other stars. Swift is currently on tour in Germany, so she won't be at Tahoe this week. But could imagine if she did show up to support Kelce in a future ACC or played in the event itself? The world might actually fall off its axis.
Mark Wahlberg: In an episode of Entourage, Wahlberg was paired with Brady, so maybe the ACC can get them as a two-pack. Wahlberg is one of the more popular movie stars going and has a single-digit handicap. He claims he can play 18 holes in one hour (he calls it "cardio golf"), although that's not happening at Edgewood. Expect a five-hour round.
Serena Williams: The tennis star (and arguably best athlete ever) recently retired and would be a great addition to the field. She and her sister, Venus, invested into the Tiger Woods/Rory McIlroy tech-infused stadium golf competition set to launch in 2025.
Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.
