The American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament will take place this weekend in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. The tournament usually quite entertaining, as a bunch of celebs do funny stuff while also scratching their competitive itch. There is one constant through all of this: Charles Barkley shows up, competes, and does not do particularly well.
But things might be different this year. Tony Romo, the favorite to win the whole thing, said that Barkley “hit the ball really well” during a driving range session and would bet on a finish in the top-70 of the 87-player field. According to David Purdum of ESPN, Las Vegas agrees, and bettors have been pouring money onto a good finish for the Inside the NBA stalwart.
Caesars Sportsbook opened Barkley as a 5-1 underdog to finish in the top 70. As of Thursday, Barkley’s odds had improved to +260, with 96% of the bets on 95% of the money wagered backing the NBA Hall of Famer to finish in the top 70.
There is, however, one person who very strongly disagrees: Wardell Stephen Curry II, who told the press that he is far less confident in a good finish for Chuck.
“No, hell no,” Curry said. “Clip that, send it to him, let him play it on every tee box. There’s no way he’s doing it. As much faith as Chuck has had in the Warriors and jump shooting teams winning championships, that’s the amount of faith I have in him hitting the top-70.”
Barkley finished 76th at the event last year. Curry finished in first place in NBA Finals MVP voting recently as the Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics to win their fourth championship in the last eight years.
