Iraq War Veteran Chad Pfeifer Selected to Golf in South Lake Tahoe Celebrity Golf Event

For the past 25 years, the South Lake Tahoe's signature sporting event has been the American Century Championship. This year's event will feature a hero among the slate of celebrities from the sports and entertainment fields. Retired United States Army Corporal Chad Pfeifer, an Iraqi War Veteran and amputee whose golf-centered rehabilitation has turned him into a top-tier tournament player, will play in the July tournament.

Three-time winner of the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s Warrior Open and the 2011 National Amputee Tournament champion, Pfeifer is a working PGA Club Professional at the Golf Club of Estrella in Goodyear (suburban Phoenix), AZ. While serving in Iraq in 2007, Pfeifer’s life changed when a bomb exploded under the patrol vehicle he was driving and he lost his left leg above the knee.

Now 32, he used golf to help overcome the adversity and found a talent that had roots in his three-sport high school athlete days. He attended the Golf Academy of America to learn the business end of the sport and now brings his competitive skills to the 80-player field at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, where John Elway, Steph Curry, Aaron Rodgers, Jerry Rice, Ray Romano and Andy Pettitte hold forth each year.

“The American Century Championship invitation was a stunner,” offered Pfeifer, whose hole-in-one during the 2012 Warrior Open was witnessed by former President George W. Bush. “Golf has taken me to great places and I’ve met President Bush and many others, but Lake Tahoe in July is a special one. I’m looking forward to competing with some athletes who know the meaning of the word at its highest level.”

The tournament is played annually at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, located on the shores of Lake Tahoe at the state line. Actual tournament play is July 18-20 but golfers start arriving on the 14th to participate in practice rounds and the popular Celebrity-Am tournament on the 17th.

“Corporal Pfeifer’s participation will be a highlight of our 25th anniversary celebration,” said Jon Miller, President of Programming for NBC Sports Group, which owns and operates the tournament. “He’s sure to be a gallery favorite in Lake Tahoe and fans around the country will be rooting for Chad to be a leaderboard contender all three days.”

Pfeifer will have to adapt to the tournament’s modified Stableford format and the welcoming par 5s at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, where some of the pro-athlete long-hitters at elevation putt for eagles during every round. Among his other golf accomplishments is the Folds of Honor Foundation’s 2013 Patriot Cup Championship in partnership with PGA Tour standout Zach Johnson. Pfeifer also played four years of college baseball, finishing his career at Division I Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, ID.

NBC Sports, NBC Sports Network and Golf Channel will televise the tournament as follows:

Round One
Friday, July 18 4-7 p.m. ET (1-4 p.m. PT) Live, NBC Sports Network
Saturday, July 19 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. ET (8:30-11:30 a.m. PT) Replay, Golf Channel

Round Two
Saturday, July 19 3-6 p.m. ET (Noon-3 p.m. PT) Live, NBC
Sunday, July 20 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. ET (7:30-10:30 a.m. PT) Replay, Golf Channel

Round Three
Sunday, July 20 3-6 p.m. ET (Noon-3 p.m. PT) Live, NBC
Monday, July 21 1-4 p.m. ET (10 a.m.-1 p.m. PT) Replay, Golf Channel