While the star-studded celebrity golf tournament is no longer scheduled, there are still some big name celebrities and athletes who have yet to compete in the American Century Championship at Edgewood. Let's take a greedy look. Here are 23 celebrities who are not at the Tahoe tournament who we'd like to see compete in a future event. Players are listed in alphabetical order.
Mookie Betts: The ACC features current stars from the NBA, NFL and NHL, but current MLB players can't compete due to scheduling conflicts, but the tournament is right before the All-Star break, and if any current MLB player could make it, it's Betts, the Dodgers star who seems to be able to do it all, including bowling a perfect 300 games multiple times.
Tom Brady: The biggest sports star yet to play in the ACC (outside of football) is also an avid golfer, so it's a perfect match. Brady is a FOX star and the event will air on NBC (which explains why so many NBC personalities are in attendance), but I think he'll end up playing in the tournament. He's a realistic target and should have more time now that he's enjoying retirement.
Snoop Dogg: Most of the names on this list are “celebrities” rather than “athletes,” which is a good thing. There are a lot of top athletes in this field, but we'd like to see more stars from outside of sports. Why not aim big, like Snoop Dogg, who once said his goal was to win a golf championship? nice He is playing in Augusta, Georgia, home of the Masters Tournament. nice Additions to fields.
Kenny G: The saxophonist has performed in Carson Valley and is an avid scratch golfer who could actually win if he were to enter.
Pau Gasol: The Spaniard has previously competed in the Celebrity Golf Tournament and will add another Hall of Famer to the ACC's long list of the sport's elite.
Vince Gill: Gil is a scratch golfer and celebrity powerhouse who considered trying to play professionally before becoming a record-breaking country music star. He is the recipient of the National Association of Golf Course Superintendents' Old Tom Morris Award, given annually to an individual who has contributed greatly to the advancement of the game of golf.
Ryan Gosling: The chances seem slim, since Gosling seems to avoid public speaking when he's not starring in films, but he is known to play golf, adding a major entertainment star to the field: His old Mickey Mouse Club pal Justin Timberlake has competed in the event several times.
Samuel L. Jackson: Jackson is in his 70s, making him the oldest of this year's competitors, making him unlikely to play in the ACC, but the 75-year-old is a single-digit handicap sports fan who once said golf was “the perfect game.”
Dwayne Johnson: Lock claims to have driven the ball 490 yards, just shy of the world record of 515. It will be fun to see how far he can drive the ball at Tahoe's altitude. The longest shot in the history of the ACC Long Drive Contest is Brian Kinchen's 393 yards in 2004. Travis Kelce won last year's contest with a 367-yard drive. Both were NFL tight ends. It will be interesting to see if Lock, a former college defensive lineman, can break those records.
Adam Levine: The Maroon 5 lead singer is a golf fanatic and purchased a Los Angeles Country Club home for $18 million in 2017. Levine once said of his love of golf, “I hit a thousand balls a day and I never waver.” He also tweeted in 2011, “I tried golf. I'm not gonna lie. It's awesome.”
Matthew McConaughey: Alright! Alright! Alright! (I should also point out that “Alright” is not an actual word. The correct word is “All right.” This is a grammar pet peeve of mine.)
Bill Murray: For the past few years, Murray, a legendary actor, has been at the top of the celebrity wish list of Gary Quinn, vice president of NBC Sports Ventures, which runs the tournament. “We always pursued him, but after a while we stopped,” Quinn said a few years ago. “He plays a lot at Pebble Beach. He's a guy we'd love to have here. He connects really well with the fans.” The window to lure the 73-year-old Murray has probably passed, but who knows what will happen.
Chuck Norris: Chuck Norris doesn't hit the ball into the hole, the ball escapes him and hides in the hole.
Barack Obama: Donald Trump has played before, but before he was president. The tournament isn't opposed to politicians playing; former Vice President Dan Quayle has played here a few times. Obama is a sports fan, especially basketball and golf. Having him play would boost attendance, although it would be difficult, if not impossible, to ensure his safety in such a large crowd.
Shaquille O'Neal: Shaq's TNT television partner, Charles Barkley, is a regular at the ACC, so maybe he'll bring in a 7-foot-1, 325-pound tag team partner in the near future. Shaq spoke at the 2018 Wolfpack Governors Dinner, and the speaker is a frequent ACC player. Shaq once described his own play as “better than Barkley, but awful.” He also said he once stole $100,000 from Barkley on the course. It would be interesting to see these two go head-to-head.
Buster Posey: The San Francisco Giants legend has played in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, so who better to come to the other side of the Sierra? Posey is retired and has plenty of time on his hands, so he'd be great in Giants' home of Northern Nevada.
Condoleezza Rice: Rice, a former U.S. Secretary of State, is a regular at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. She is one of the most prominent female leaders in the country and the sport needs more prominent women (there are only four in this year's tournament). Rice was the first female member of Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters Tournament.
Adam Sandler: While the ACC regularly features a handful of comedians, Sandler, who rose to stardom with the golf movie “Happy Gilmore,” is one comedian who has never performed there before. Sandler admitted years ago that he takes movie roles because of the vacation destinations they offer. Few places are as scenic as Lake Tahoe in the summer.
Will Smith: As one of the most famous people in the world, Smith must know a thing or two about golf, having starred in the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance. With big-name stars like Justin Timberlake and Nick Jonas missing in recent years, Smith could fill their role as a dual-instrumental (music and acting) megastar.
Harry Styles: Stiles is said to have a handicap of 13 or 14 and recently joined a club that costs about $120,000 a year, so we'll offer him a couple of free rounds at Edgewood.
Taylor Swift: Swift is famously dating Travis Kelce, an ACC regular and the face of this year's tournament, which is missing stars like last year's champion Stephen Curry. Swift isn't in Tahoe this week, as she's currently on tour in Germany. But imagine what would happen if she showed up to cheer on Kelce at a future ACC, or even played at the event itself? The world might actually fall off its axis.
Mark Wahlberg: In an episode of Entourage, Wahlberg was paired with Brady, so maybe the ACC could get them in a pair. Wahlberg is one of the most popular movie stars and has a single-digit handicap. He claims he can play 18 holes in an hour (he calls it “cardio golf”), but that's not happening at Edgewood. Five-hour rounds are expected.
Serena Williams: The recently retired tennis star (and arguably the greatest athlete of all time) would be a fantastic addition to the field: She and her sister Venus have invested in the Tiger Woods/Rory McIlroy tech-enabled stadium golf tournament, scheduled to start in 2025.
Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Reach him at crmurray@sbgtv.com or follow him on Twitter @ByChrisMurray.
