Sacramento Area Local News

STATELINE, Nev. (AP) ― The American Century Celebrity Golf Championship will remain at Lake Tahoe through at least 2012 under a deal announced Thursday by officials for NBC Sports and the Kansas City, Mo.-based investment company.

The 54-hole tournament in its 19th year will continue to be played at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course and Harrah's/Harveys will continue to serve as the host hotel under the agreement that also includes the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"This is a made-for-TV event that started from scratch. And maybe one of the longest made-for-TV events, maybe second to the Skins (golf) game," said Gary Quinn, NBC Sports' director of business development.

"We've had Wimbledon for 30 years and French Open probably for about that long. But this ranks right up there as one of the longest, most successful events that we have in NBC Sports history. It's a pretty remarkable story," he said. "It's hard to believe we're actually contemplating a 20th anniversary logo for next year's event."

Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, John Elway, Tony Romo, Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Jerry Rice, Ray Allen and TV star Ray Romano are among some of the 80 sports stars and entertainers scheduled to tee it up in Friday's opening round at the 6,707-yard course on the shores of Lake Tahoe.

Quinn said the tournament has come a long way since its inception in 1990.

"We didn't have any sponsors. Caesars put us up and gave us some rooms. And Edgewood took a chance on us," he said during a news conference Wednesday at the Edgewood clubhouse.

Carol Chaplin, executive director of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, said she doesn't have a dollar figure but believes the six-day event -- including three rounds of pro-ams -- pumps more money into the local economy than any other single event.

""It has so much more impact than just the six days it goes on because of the television coverage," she said. "It has a shelf life that goes from July to July."

Mark Killen, American Century's chief marketing officer, said all of the clients American Century brings to play in the pro-ams are from outside the Reno-Lake Tahoe area.

"They love to come here every year. They start calling us right after they get home to see when the event is next year. So we bring in 200 to 300 clients from all over the United States to this beautiful venue," he said.

Quinn credited Killen with making the event so successful. Last year's tournament set an attendance record with crowds of more than 27,000.

"We kind of had our bumps in the road," Quinn said. "But as soon as American Century came on board 10 years ago, they've elevated this event to one of the best entertainment vehicles in golf. We like to say it's the most recognizable field in golf."

Other past and present pro athletes in this year's field include Vince Coleman, Joe Theismann, Mike Schmidt, Sterling Sharpe, Brett Hull, Jeremy Roenick, Carson Palmer, Emmitt Smith, Kenny Lofton, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Gene Upshaw, Marcus Allen, Marshall Faulk, Lawrence Taylor, Diggger Phelps and Lou Holtz.

Newcomers include former NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett, sports announcer Joe Buck, former All-Star outfielder Darryl Strawberry and sports writer Rick Reilly.

Non-sports stars playing include Dan Quayle, Al Michaels, Stoen Phillips, John O'Hurley, Kevin Nealon, Greg Kinnear and Maury Povich.

NBC carries the tournament live on Saturday and Sunday with ESPN2 televising Friday afternoon's opening round on a tape delay.

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