The American Century Championship, which is considered the Super Bowl of celebrity golf tournaments, returns to Edgewood Tahoe this week with practice rounds Wednesday and Thursday and the three-day tournament running Friday-Sunday. Here is an overview of the event that welcomed a record 84,321 fans during last year’s tournament.

Who’s in? The full field (as of July 3) is listed on the American Century Championship’s website here. Fan favorites like Steph Curry, Charles Barkley, Jason Kelce, Tony Romo, Miles Teller, Brian Baumgartner, Nate Bargatze, Alfonso Ribeiro and Ray Romano all return for another season. Jim McMahon and Jack Wagner are back for the 37th straight year as the only players who have appeared in the field each year of the tournament’s history. Drew Brees also returns after a long absence. Former champions in the field include Mardy Fish (2020, 2024), Curry (2023), Romo (2018-19, 2022), Vinny Del Negro (2021), Mark Mulder (2015-17), Wagner (2006, 2011) and last year’s champion, Joe Pavelski (2025).

Who’s out? A few other notable names who have played in recent years won’t be in attendance, including Travis Kelce (married Taylor Swift last Friday); Aaron Rodgers (whose long streak of appearances will be snapped); Josh Allen (recently became a father); Nick Jonas; Patrick Mahomes (last played in 2023); Justin Timberlake (last played in 2022); and Canelo Alvarez (last played in 2023). Others who have dropped out in recent weeks include Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and Celtics standout Payton Pritchard, the Boston-area stars who were both expected to make their debuts this season. The field currently sits at 90 players.

Who’s new? The ACC will have plenty of new blood in first-time players Kyle Hamilton (Baltimore Ravens), Doc Rivers (NBA coach), Sean McDonough (ESPN broadcaster), Brady Tkachuk (NHL All-Star), Mike Macdonald (NFL coach), Kevin O’Connell (NFL coach), Robert Saleh (NFL coach), Brett Young (country pop singer) and Matt Boldy (NHL star).

Who’s the favorite? This year’s tournament features several previous champions with the favorites being the last two winners in Fish (+285) and Pavelski (+290). John Smoltz (+450), Curry (+450), Romo (+800) and Annika Sorenstam (+900) also enter with strong odds. Barkley is a +75,000 longshot, meaning a $1 bet for him to win would net you a $7,500 profit.

Thrilling finishes: The tournament has a recent history of thrilling finishes with playoffs required to crown champions in 2021 (Del Negro) and 2022 (Romo) before Curry’s walk-off eagle in 2023. The last two tournaments haven’t had those dramatics as Fish won by four points in 2024 and Pavelski by nine points in 2025. But more often than not, the champion has been crowned on the final hole in recent years.

What’s the scoring system? The ACC uses a modified Stableford scoring system that rewards birdies and eagles, which can be plentiful at Edgewood’s altitude. Players get 10 points for a double eagle, eight for a hole-in-one, six for an eagle, three for a birdie, one for a par, zero for a bogey and minus-two for a double bogey or worse. Pavelski tallied 73 points in last year’s win. The tournament record is 84 by Billy Joe Tolliver in 2010. The modified Stableford scoring system can impact the winner as Fish had a better scorecard score than Curry in 2023, but Curry finished with points thanks to multiple eagles and a hole-in-one.

How do I get tickets? Friday and Saturday’s tickets have already sold out, but you can buy tickets for other rounds here. All tickets are sold online with no tickets sold at the gate. Wednesday and Thursday’s rounds cost $50 each with Sunday at $60.

Television broadcast: The tournament will air on NBC, Peacock and the Golf Channel. Friday’s broadcast is noon-3 p.m. live on Peacock and NBC Sports Network. Saturday and Sunday’s broadcasts are live on NBC and Peacock from 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Additionally, Nevada Sports Net will tape special hour-long editions of NSN Tonight from Edgewood Tahoe on Thursday and Friday that will air at 8 and 10 p.m. on NSN and 10:35 p.m. on Fox. We will have 19th Hole wrap-up shows Saturday and Sunday that will air on NSN and NBC (6:30 p.m. Saturday; 9:30 p.m. Sunday) and FOX (10:35 p.m. on both days).

The pick: Last year’s I correctly picked Pavelski to win his first ACC title, and it’s easy to go with him or Fish, who has traditionally been my default winner. But I’m going with a little more of a longshot this year and will pick Adam Thielen, who retired from the NFL this offseason and has been able to focus more on golf. The 35-year-old’s best finish came in 2022 when he tied for fourth with 58 points. Last year he tied for 11th with 48 points. He’ll have to get into the high-60s to win this year. But at +2000 odds, I like Thielen as a dark horse.

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.