LAKE TAHOE, Nev. – Thursday kicked off the second day of the American Century Championship (ACC) at Edgewood Tahoe. Similar to Wednesday, the day is categorized as celebrity and amateur competition (Celeb-Am) and practice rounds.

As it gets closer to the start of the tournament tomorrow, more fans and celebrities have made their way to Edgewood.

The day’s first event was a brand new competition to the tournament this year called “Pitch, Chip, and Putt,” which entailed a men’s vs. women’s competition on the driving range. For the women’s team, dubbed “Girls on the Green”, participants included World Golf Hall of Fame member Annika Sorenstam, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and “Today Show” Anchor and Meteorologist Dylan Dreyer. The men’s team, made of all athletes, included NBA guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder Alex Caruso, NBA guard for the Sacramento Kings Zach LaVine and former NFL quarterback Derek Carr.

Each round consisted of each member putting, chipping, or pitching the ball on the green, and after, measuring which team got the closest to the hole. After winning all three rounds of competition, the women took the victory.

At the driving range adjacent to the competition, fans enthusiastically cheered for their favorite celebrity who took time to practice their swings for the 1 p.m. second Celeb-Am round. Those on the range included Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and former NFL wide receiver Jerry Rice.

At 11:15 a.m., a press conference was held with past winners, and thus, this year’s top tournament contenders. Those on the panel included former professional tennis player and 2020 and 2024 winner Mardy Fish, Annika Sorenstam, former MLB pitcher John Smoltz, former NBA player and 2021 tournament winner Vinny Del Negro and former NFL quarterback and 2018, 2019 and 2022 tournament winner Tony Romo.

Athletes on the panel started by discussing their past performances at the tournament, and their chances to possibly take home the victory this year against their other competitors.

“Players want to be here and compete,” said Sorenstam. “This is such a special week here in Tahoe. Standing with these guys, first of all, they’re incredible at golf, but they’re just good people, and I think that’s what this tournament is about. So, for me personally, it’s gotta go my way, you know, start to finish.”

Players also noted the atmosphere at the tournament and the company that comes with the competition, which allows for friendship and a chance to learn from those more experienced.

“This is such a great week, American Century, NBC Sports, the green’s keeper, the fans, the volunteers, I mean, it’s just all first class,” said Del Negro. “We all love coming to compete, but all great people obviously aren’t as fantastic players. We have a legend in Annika, and obviously Smoltz is as good a player as you can find. It’s great to be kind of in that company. The atmosphere is spectacular, and the course is in great shape. Some wind is gonna pick up, gonna change the course in a little bit, but love the competition.”

Fan interactions and tournament preparation remained after the press conference as celebrities such as former NFL forward Charles Barkley, Zach LaVine and Saturday Night Live lead writer and personality Colin Jost practiced their swings. Josh Allen and Jerry Rice remained on the course, along with NFL quarterback Sam Darnold, “Dancing with the Stars” host Alfonso Ribeiro, and more.

Many celebrities took the time to not only practice but to interact with each other, the fans, and the press, including taking questions on their past and active professional careers.

“I’m always going to “Go Niners” no matter what, right?” said Rice, speaking on the chance of the San Francisco 49ers going to the Super Bowl this year. “ I just feel like we’re bringing in so many young players and stuff like that, it’s going to take a while for that team to gel. So if it doesn’t happen this year, maybe in the next couple years.”

The day continued with an additional press conference, including more celebrities predicted to win the tournament. Participants included 2023 tournament winner and Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry, three-time tournament winner and MLB All-Star pitcher Mark Mulder and former NHL forward Joe Pavelski.

Conversation throughout the press conference revolved around past successes at the

tournament, and their competition and friendships with the other contenders.

“The camaraderie amongst all of us who’ve been here over a decade, you understand the experience and want to have fun,” said Curry. “It’s great to see everybody because we live all over the place, and you can bank on this week to kind of rekindle the friendships. But, we all know how to be competitive for sure, so you tap into that pretty quickly.”

The conversation concluded with words of encouragement for new players as the athletes shared their own experiences learning and struggling with the game of golf.

“If you’re a beginner, man, just go to a range,” said Mulder. “Start hitting balls if you want. There is nothing better than playing golf with three buddies. It doesn’t matter if you suck. Go have fun, just don’t play slow, move on. Pick the ball up, throw it out in the fairway, and go hit it again.”

Thursday continued with the second Celeb-Am round of the day at 1 p.m. Notable celebrities playing in this round included 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk, Tony Romo, Derek Carr, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, Colin Jost and comedian Nate Bargatze. Additionally, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen drew lots of crowd support as he made his way to hole 10.

In an exclusive interview with South Tahoe Now, Allen commented on playing in the elevation in South Lake Tahoe after beginning his career at the University of Wyoming, one of the highest football stadium elevations in the country.

“Just walking up these hills, I know it’s gonna get you out of breath a little bit,” said Allen. “I’ll tell you what, playing there and training there is the best thing for you. When teams would come up and play us, they’d have no shot.”

Yet, the biggest surprise of the day occurred around 3:45 p.m. While the course got quieter as fans and press headed home, excitement struck for those remaining when former NFL center Jason Kelce and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce came to the driving range to practice for the start of the competition tomorrow.

Representing their beer brand “Garage”, the two were joined by winners of a sweepstakes with the company who flew them out and brought them onto the range to watch them practice. The two remained on the course until about 5 p.m. and remained focused despite spontaneous cheers and chants from the crowd, which did appear to anger Jason at times.

The tournament will officially start Friday morning with round one tee times from 7:54 to 10:04 a.m. Stay tuned to southtahoenow.com and the South Tahoe Now Instagram for tournament coverage and updates. The morning Pitch, Chip, and Putt contest between men and women Josh Allen Jerry Rice Zach LeVine The Kelce brothers – Jason on the right, Travis on the left Colin Jost Kyle Juszczyk