Mark Mulder, Tony Romo Co-Favorites at Lake Tahoe

Justin Timberlake, Steph Curry, Aaron Rodgers also in American Century Championship field

(SOUTH LAKE TAHOE Calif./Nev.) – Former MLB All-Star pitcher Mark Mulder, the two-time defending champion, and newly-retired Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo have been installed as co-favorites by the Harrah’s and Harveys Race & Sports Book to win the 2017 American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament. (www.americancenturychampionship.com)

Mulder and Romo are both listed 3-1 for the 28th annual competition Friday – Sunday, July 14-16, airing live on NBC and NBCSN. Actor and two-time champ Jack Wagner, one of two celebrities who has played every year, was placed near the top of the board at 8-1, with Mark Rypien the 1991 Washington Redskins Super Bowl MVP at 7-1. Mardy Fish, the former #1-ranked American in pro tennis, is the third choice at 9-2 with John Smoltz (8-1), Trent Dilfer (10-1), John Elway (12-1) and Jeremy Roenick (15-1) filling out the top tier.

“Tony Romo changes the landscape, for sure,” stated Harrah’s Sports Book Director Dave Cudney, who authors the odds for the legal gambling marketplace each year.  “He has much more time to play and is a highly-competitive individual who finished second three straight times a few years back.  By contrast, Steph Curry (20-1), coming off the NBA Championship run, is unlikely to sharpen his game in time to contend but will be a threat to make the top 10. “Mulder will be motivated by his shot at an unprecedented third straight title and Fish is dangerous because of that experience competing at the highest level in the individual sport of tennis.”

The American Century Championship is contested using a modified Stableford format and features a $600,000 purse with $125,000 for the winner. In addition to high-stakes competition, the tournament will raise money for the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, a non-profit research organization dedicated to improving human health through innovative study of diseases like cancer. Regional Lake Tahoe non-profits also benefit from the tournament, which has raised over $4 million for charity.

Among the other prominent players and their odds are: Justin Timberlake (35-1), Mike Modano (15-1), Brian Urlacher (20-1), Aaron Rodgers and Doug Pederson (50-1), Paige Spiranac (40-1), Blair O’Neal (30-1), Jason Kidd and Rob Riggle (1000-1) and Emmitt Smith (2000-1).  Perennial longshot Charles Barkley is 6000-1.   The full odds listing is below.

American Century Championship airtimes: 
- July 14,             6-8 p.m. ET, NBCSN 
- July 15,        3-6 p.m. ET, NBC 
- July 16           3-6 p.m. ET, NBC