STATELINE, Nev. – Mardy Fish followed up his record round at the American Century Championship on Saturday with a rather ordinary 21-point effort Sunday, but it was enough to claim his first title at the 31st annual celebrity golf tournament.
Fish, the former top-ranked American on the ATP Tour, finished with 76 points (an even-par 72) and held off former Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Kyle Williams (67 points).
The left-handed Fish, who on Saturday shot a 9-under-par 63 and racked up a tournament-record 37 points, had a 5- to 6-point lead over Williams for most of Sunday’s final round and all but clinched it when he made a 3-point birdie on the par-5 16th.
“I’ve wanted to play well here for a long time,” said Fish, who jumped into Lake Tahoe to celebrate his win. “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.”
Fish, who had five top-five finishes here in six previous appearances, has twice won the Diamond Resorts Invitational celebrity tournament in Orlando, Fla. He would have won $125,000, but the entire $600,000 purse was donated to social justice, COVID-19 and regional charities.
The ACC, which uses a modified Stableford scoring system that rewards points for pars, birdies and eagles, was contested without spectators and under social-distancing guidelines in accordance with governmental and health guidelines.
“I’m happy for Mardy. I don’t like that he did it at my expense, but he was the best player this week,” offer the 295-pound Williams, who finished 12th in 2019.
Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz was alone in third place with 58 points. “Mardy played fearless. He played relentless,” Smoltz said. “He didn’t change his theory and it ended up working out.” Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry had 26 points Sunday – his second-best effort in eight appearances at the Lake Tahoe event – and finished fourth with 56 points.
Tony Romo, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback who won here in 2018 and 2019, withdrew Sunday morning. He suffered an undisclosed wrist injury late in his round Saturday. Former NBA great Charles Barkley, who has frequently finished last in this event, was 70th in the 71-player field, edging out former Ohio State Heisman Trophy-winning running back Eddie George.
