Odds makers pick Billy Joe Tolliver to win American Century Championship

Four-time American Century Golf champion Billy Joe Tolliver, former quarterback for five NFL teams, is now the top choice of Harrah’s and Harveys Race & Sports Book to win the 26th annual celebrity golf tournament this week in South Lake Tahoe.

He is listed at 7-2 to win the event over defending champion Mark Rypien and perennial contenders John Smoltz and John Elway.

Rypien, the original favorite, is 5-1 with Smoltz at 6-1 and eight-time champion Rick Rhoden at 7-1 for the 54-hole, modified-Stableford competition at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.

Other prominent players and their odds are: Jerry Rice (30-1), Aaron Rodgers, Steve Kerr and Justin Timberlake (40-1), Ray Allen, Greg Maddux and Blake Bortles (50-1), Jerome Bettis and Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly (60-1), Roger Clemens, Emmitt Smith, Jared Allen, Alex Smith and Steve Spurrier (100-1) plus Shane Battier, Patrick Peterson at 1000-1.

Celebrated perennial long shot Charles Barkley is alone at 5000-1 with Ray Romano and Kevin Nealon at 2000-1 and Larry The Cable Guy at 2500-1.

Newcomer Justin Timberlake comes in at a 40-1 chance of winning.

There are three women playing in the tournament this year. Golf Channel announcer Lisa Cornwell tops that small group at 100-1, with model Kim Alexis and soccer star Brandi Chastain both at 1000-1.

Also among the favorites is a pair of distinguished military in the field by virtue of their triumphs in the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s Warrior Open for disabled American military. Corporal Chad Pfeifer, who lost his left leg in an IED explosion in Iraq, is listed at 10-1 after finishing fifth in the American Century Championship last year. Sergeant Major Rod Gorman, winner of the 2014 Warrior Open who is 90 per cent disabled with bullet fragments in his right arm and hip, is listed at 12-1.

Pfeifer, on a sponsor exemption, competed in the Web.com Tour’s Albertson’s Open July 9-12 in his hometown of Boise, ID, leading into the American Century Championship.

Also among the favorites are Jeremy Roenick, Mark Mulder, two-time champions Jack Wagner and Colt Ford, all 8-1, and Trent Dilfer (12-1).

“As strong as Mark Rypien’s performance was last year, Tolliver has two wins in the last five tournaments and is a huge scoring threat on the par fives,” said Dave Cudney, Harrah’s and Harveys Race & Sports Book manager. “We’ve also moved Chad Pfeifer from 12-1 to 10-1 because of the level of competition he’s experiencing this week on the Web.com Tour.”

The casino is also offering a slate of prop bets from which sport will have the best golfers to which Hall of Famer will score the best.

The tournament airs Friday, July 17 – Sunday, July 19, on NBC Sports Group’s family of networks, NBC, NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) and Golf Channel.

American Century Championship Airtimes
Friday, July 17 6-8 p.m. ET / 3-5 p.m. PT (live) NBCSN
Saturday, July 18 3-6 p.m. ET / Noon-3 p.m. PT (live) NBC
Sunday, July 19 3-6 p.m. ET / Noon-3 p.m. PT (live) NBC

All three rounds will replay on Golf Channel.