Can Barkley crack the top 65?
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE – Charles Barkley, the prominent NBA TV analyst, media personality and Basketball Hall of Famer, will try to reward sports wagering supporters with a Top 65 finish when he tees it up at the 36th annual American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe, July 11-13.
The competitive goal of Top 65 has been established by Caesars Sportsbook, which posts legal sports wagering odds-to-win and proposition bets every year for the popular, nationally-televised event featuring 90 star pro athletes, entertainers and media personalities in a PGA TOUR-style competition.
For each of the last four years, the Caesars Sportsbook proposition had Barkley pursuing a top 70 finish. Last year, Barkley rewarded his supporters with a 58th place finish, easily under the top 70 number provided by the Caesars Sportsbook.
This year, the Caesars Sportsbook official proposition bet sets up as follows:
TOP 65 FINISH: CHARLES BARKLEY
Yes (Under 65.5) +140
No (Over 65.5) -175
Bettors who believe that the good-natured, sports personality can rise to the occasion and finish in the Top 65 will win $140 for each $100 wagered on the “Yes” proposition. Those convinced that the former NBA Most Valuable Player will fail to place in the Top 65 would be “No” and will risk $175 to win $100. Caesars Sportsbook has offered the proposition at Top 70 each of the past four years and Barkley finished 76th in 2021, 74th in 2022, 81st in 2023 and 58th in 2024 amidst much fanfare in media and at the tournament, which attracts galleries in excess of 70,000 fans.
Barkley’s other best finish over 29 starts at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course came in 1995, when he finished 60th. His odds to win the tournament are 7500-1 (+750000). The tournament favorites are Stephen Curry, the 2023 champion, and Mardy Fish, the 2024 champion, both at 2.4-1 (+240).
The 54-hole tournament is set for Friday-Sunday, July 11-13, at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in the destination resort, where it was launched by NBC Sports in 1990.
The event will be televised by NBC Sports, GOLF Channel and Peacock over the course of the three days. The tournament will be scored using a modified Stableford format awarding points per hole as follows: double-eagle – 10, hole-in-one – 8, eagle – 6, birdie – 3, par – 1, bogey – 0, double bogey – (-2).
“The popular Charles Barkley prop once again returns for the American Century Championship in 2025,” said Anthony Sallerolli, Head of Golf at Caesars Sportsbook. “Sir Charles is an avid golfer and a fan-favorite, making this our most popular proposition bet for this tournament year after year.”
The tournament will award $750,000 in prize money with a $150,000 first prize. More than $8 million has been donated regional and national non-profit causes over the years.
