Fan favorite 7th hole continues to entertain during American Century Championship

For 12 years the antics of a group of Sacramento friends on the 7th hole at Edgewood Tahoe have drawn the attention of not only those attending the American Century Championship Pro-Am round in South Lake Tahoe, but also the attention of Justin Timberlake, NBC Sports, Corona, AJ Hawk, Mark Rypien, Steph Curry and many others.

They used to hang behind the ropes after sneaking in coolers full of alcohol until their fun interactions with the celebrities drew the attention of Jon Miller, President of Programming for NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network. He was impressed with how "the boys" entertained both the celebrities and the gallery and arranged for them to come inside the ropes on the 7th hole in 2015.

That was the same year two of the leaders of the group started a company, wimzr, that features a social-media app designed for people attending concerts and sporting events, including the SuperBowl.

WimZr had a tent set up at the 7th for three tournaments (2015-2017) but there were changes this year. Gone were the cases of tequilla and the tent, but still in place was the chanting, dancing, singing, insults and penalty flags tossed at bad golf shots. WimZr co-founder John Parilo said they are re-revaluating how they'll work the hole in the future, but fun and antics will certainly be a part of it. There is even talk that they may be allowed to take control of the hole during actual tournament play in 2019.

There are traditions with the celebrities. What first brought them national attention was when one of the friends, Ben Heaps, was tackled by NFL star A.J. Hawk. For three years they tried to one up that display, once by arm wrestling, the next by an inflatable appartus that Heaps was in when tackled. This year there were just hugs and handshakes.

Timberlake couldn't make it this year due to a tour, but he still interacted with the 7th hole by texting "the boys." They attached a cutout of his face to small goals set up so he wouldn't be forgotten. A Missing Poster was created for Kevin Ruder, Timberlake's friend who also couldn't make it this year, and with whom the star co-founded the tequila brand Sausa 901.

Timberlake called the 7th "the best hole ever" after spending time interactive with the group.

Another tradition is the six-year long standing bet wimZr co-founder Blake Mori and former quarterback Mark Rypien. They take their shoes and socks off and play the hole barefoot. This is followed up by chugging cans of beer. So far the score is Mori 1, Rypien 5.

The popularity of the 7th hole increases every year, enough so the friend from Sacramento have their own gallery.