Mardy Fish carries Saturday momentum into final round at Edgewood for the Win

Springboarding off a course-record 63 during day two on Saturday, former American professional tennis star Mardy Fish captured victory in the 31st American Century Championship tournament victory Sunday afternoon at Edgewood Tahoe South Golf Course.

This year’s event is being played without fans at the Edgewood Course due to the coronavirus pandemic, creating a unique experience for players in the popular celebrity tournament that typically attracts large galleries.

The purse, this year totaling $600,000, along with additional money generated from the tournament, are being donated to organizations supporting COVID-19 relief efforts, as well as the Equal Justice Initiative and several other Lake Tahoe regional nonprofits.

Fish birdied the final hole after missing the fairway off the tee, thanks to a gutsy second shot that skirted the pond to the left of the 18th green and left him a makeable eagle opportunity to close the tournament. He finished with a final round 72 and a tournament-best 76 points in the modified Stableford scoring system.

Former Buffalo Bill defensive tackle Kyle Williams came in second with 67 points. Williams had the opportunity to put some pressure on Fish while on the final tee, but missed the fairway into the trees on the right side of 18, taking eagle out of play and leaving a clear path for Fish to close the weekend.

An ominous presence on the course, Williams was looking to become the first NFL lineman to win the event but was only able to muster 15 points in the final round after struggling to find his putting stroke. The greens only yielded Williams one birdie in the final round.

“I’m happy for Mardy,” Williams said. “I don’t like that he did it at my expense, but he was the best player this week.”

Thanks to a birdie on the final hole, Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz captured third place with a total of 58 points. “Mardy played fearless. He played relentlessly,” Smoltz said. “He didn’t change his theory and it ended up working out.”

Smoltz finished two points ahead of Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, who ended up fourth with 56 points. Curry carded five birdies on Sunday as he posted his third round-best 26 points and a final round 69, jumping up from his 11th place finish on Saturday.

After accepting the trophy, the 38-year-old former Davis Cup Captain jumped into Lake Tahoe in celebration.

“I’ve wanted to play well here for a long time,” said Fish, who won six times on the ATP tour. “It just doesn’t suit my eye very well, so I haven’t put it all together. And thankfully I put it all together yesterday because it wasn’t today and it wasn’t Friday.”

Winner of the past two American Century Championship tournaments, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, withdrew late in Saturday’s second round after suffering a wrist injury and was tied for fourth at the two rounds.

- Jordan Fuller

This article is special to South Tahoe Now. Jordan Fuller is a retired golfer who teaches and mentors golf to young and aspiring golfers, amateurs, and retirees. He also owns a golf publication site, Golf Influence, where he shares tips and tricks to improve the game. https://www.golfinfluence.com