Joe Pavelski marked a memorable moment at the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe by jumping into the water after clinching a dramatic win in front of a packed celebrity field.
The former NHL standout, now 41 years old, capped off his final round with a remarkable eagle putt on the 18th hole to secure the title in the popular summer tournament that drew 90 high-profile participants to Stateline, Nevada.
The event, which uses a modified stableford scoring system, saw Pavelski finish with 73 points over three rounds, comfortably ahead of former MLB pitcher John Smoltz, who placed second with 64.
Musician Jake Owen secured third place with 62 points, just ahead of former U.S. soccer forward Taylor Twellman (61) and NBA superstar Steph Curry (58), who rounded out the top five.
Curry, a previous champion at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, couldn’t stop Pavelski, who officially retired from hockey earlier this year, from claiming his first title at the celebrity showcase.
With the win, Pavelski earns $150,000 of the $750,000 purse and becomes only the third professional hockey player to win the event, joining Dan Quinn and Mario Lemieux. He shared that part of the prize money might go toward buying a new boat.
Last year’s winner, tennis great Mardy Fish, finished ninth. Rounding out the top 10 were ex-MLB pitcher Mark Mulder, golf legend Annika Sorenstam, former NFL quarterback Tony Romo, and actor Michael Peña.
While the leaderboard featured familiar names at the top, several fan-favorite stars found themselves much further down. Jason Kelce ended the tournament with -51 points in 86th place, while his brother Travis finished 63rd.
Despite their placement, the Kelce brothers still attracted major attention. Paired with actor Miles Teller, who finished 75th, their final-round group was one of the biggest draws on a lively Sunday afternoon.
Elsewhere in the standings, NFL icon Aaron Rodgers finished 15th, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen came in 34th, and basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley placed 69th.
But the spotlight belonged to Pavelski, who had plenty to celebrate this weekend, his 41st birthday on Friday, his 17th wedding anniversary on Saturday, and finally, a long-awaited victory at the ACC on Sunday.
Having previously finished as runner-up twice, the win was particularly satisfying.
“I’ve had some close calls along the way… it feels so good to finally get one,” Pavelski said.
“I believed I was ready for it… but golf is a weird game. It’s mental, physical, everything. It’s a challenge.”
Reflecting on the experience, he added, “It’s special coming out here, obviously, and selfishly I get to play a bunch of golf. It’s a very competitive group out here. It’s just an awesome setting.”
