(Stateline, Nev.) – Tony Romo, the star quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys and renowned amateur golfer, has been installed by the Harrah’s & Harveys Lake Tahoe Sports Book as co-favorite to win the 22nd annual American Century Championship (www.tahoecelebritygolf.com) celebrity golf tournament, which takes place July 15-17 at Edgewood Golf Course and is broadcast live on VERSUS (July 15, 4-7pm ET) and NBC Sports (July 16 & 17 3-6pm ET).
Romo joins eight-time champion and longtime favorite Rick Rhoden at 5-2 atop the board at Harrah’s & Harveys, which makes odds on the event each year as the official host hotel and sports book. Legal wagering on all the players plus selected head-to-head match ups are available each year at Harrah’s & Harveys and in casinos throughout Nevada. Last year, Rhoden was the pre-tournament favorite at 9-5 and Romo was the second choice at 5-2.
*** FULL ODDS LIST BELOW***
The Cowboys signal-caller finished second in 2009 and 2010 and third in 2008. Among Rhoden’s eight wins are the 2008 and 2009 titles.
Following Romo and Rhoden on the 2011 board are last year’s winner and three-time champion Billy Joe Tolliver at 4-1 plus other top-tier notables John Smoltz (5-1), Grant Fuhr (8-1), John Elway (10-1), Marshall Faulk and Jerry Rice (20-1), Tim Tebow (25-1) and Michael Jordan (40-1). The longest shot among the 80-plus golfers is Charles Barkley at 500-1.
“Romo will be playing in his fifth tournament and he is getting more and more comfortable with the course, the live galleries and the live network TV environment,” offered Harrah’s & Harveys Sports Book director Steve Schorr. “It’s clear that he wants to win this tournament.”
Golf Digest magazine ranked Romo as the number one pro athlete golfer in the country in 2009. He reached the second round of the Wisconsin State Amateur match play tournament and has a host of amateur and celebrity tournament titles on his resume.
Rhoden, the former pitcher for seven major league teams, has won over $1 million in prize money at the American Century Championship and has been favored each year since he won the tournament in 1991, the second year of competition. Rhoden was No. 1 on Golf Digest’s 2007 ranking of athlete-golfers but was removed from the 2009 list after earning his playing card on the PGA Champions Tour. Rhoden is no longer playing on the PGA Champions Tour and still sets his sights on the Tahoe title each year.
Photo Credit: Jeff Bayer
FULL LIST OF ODDS
6001 TONY ROMO 5/2
6002 RICK RHODEN 5/2
6003 BILLY JOE TOLLIVER 4/1
6004 DAN QUINN 5/1
6005 JOHN SMOLTZ 5/1
6006 GRANT FUHR 7/1
6007 JEREMY ROENICK 7/1
6008 JACK WAGNER 8/1
6009 MIKE MODANO 10/1
6010 BRETT HULL 12/1
6011 CHRIS CHANDLER 12/1
6012 MARK RYPIEN 12/1
6013 JOHN ELWAY 12/1
6014 TRENT DILFER 12/1
6015 JERRY RICE 15/1
6016 STERLING SHARPE 15/1
6017 MARSHALL FAULK 18/1
6018 JOE THEISMANN 18/1
6019 MARTIN BRODEUR 18/1
6020 KEN WHISENHUNT 20/1
6021 ANDY PETTITTE 20/1
6022 JOE SAKIC 20/1
6023 VINCE COLEMAN 22/1
6024 DALE JARRETT 25/1
6025 MATT SCHAUB 30/1
6026 JARED ALLEN 30/1
6027 GREG MADDUX 30/1
6028 JIM HARBAUGH 30/1
6029 TIM TEBOW 30/1
6030 GOOSE GOSSAGE 30/1
6031 BRET SABERHAGEN 30/1
6032 MICHAEL JORDAN 40/1
6033 RAY ALLEN 40/1
6034 MATT RYAN 40/1
6035 ALFONSO RIBEIRO 40/1
6036 VINNY DEL NEGRO 40/1
6037 TODD HALEY 50/1
6038 JIMMER FREDETTE 50/1
6039 AARON RODGERS 50/1
6040 PAUL O’NEILL 50/1
6041 FRED MCGRIFF 50/1
6042 MASON CROSBY 50/1
6043 ANFERNEE HARDAWAY 50/1
6044 JIM MCMAHON 50/1
6045 JOE CARTER 60/1
6046 CARSON PALMER 60/1
6047 DAN QUAYLE 60/1
6048 OLIVER HUDSON 60/1
6049 STEVE SPURRIER 60/1
6050 KENNY LOFTON 75/1
6051 WES WELKER 100/1
6052 ARIAN FOSTER 100/1
6053 OZZIE SMITH 100/1
6054 RONDE BARBER 100/1
6055 DERON WILLIAMS 100/1
6056 MARCUS ALLEN 100/1
6057 DAN JANSEN 100/1
6058 SHANE BATTIER 200/1
6059 JAMIE WIDDOES 200/1
6060 JACK DEL RIO 200/1
6061 EMMITT SMITH 200/1
6062 TRENT GREEN 200/1
6063 JOHN O’HURLEY 200/1
6064 MIKE ERUZIONE 200/1
6065 HERM EDWARDS 200/1
6066 JASON KIDD 200/1
6067 BODE MILLER 200/1
6068 BRIAN BAUMGARTNER 200/1
6069 BRUCE MCGILL 200/1
6070 DAN PATRICK 300/1
6071 RAY ROMANO 300/1
6072 LOU HOLTZ 300/1
6073 DENNIS HAYSBERT 300/1
6074 KEVIN NEALON 500/1
6075 CHARLES BARKLEY 500/1
6076 FIELD (ALL OTHERS) 20/1
