Kurtis Rix / Visit Lake Tahoe
Jets' Aaron Rodgers Tops All Other NFL Players at American Century Championship
Aaron Rodgers has made a habit of bringing out his "A" game on Sundays during his National Football League career.
It was no different this Sunday on the golf course at the American Century Championship. The New York Jets' new starting quarterback leapt up the leaderboard into the Top 5 on the final day of the 54-hole celebrity tournament.
Saving his best round for last, Rodgers carded a a 1-under 71 through 18 holes on Sunday at the par-72, 6,709-yard Edgewood Tahoe South course. The Round 3 score translated into 24 points in the modified Stableford format employed by the tournament.
Rodgers's three-day point total (56), which placed him at No. 5 overall, made the Green & White field general the highest-scoring NFL athlete (past and present) at this year's event.
Rodgers edged retired golf pro Annika Sorenstam by 1 point for fifth-place standing. CBS color analyst Tony Romo (51), a three-time tournament champ, finished eighth overall followed by Denver Broncos' legend John Elway (50) in a tie for ninth.
NBA star Steph Curry (75) enjoyed a "walk-off" victory over tennis pro Mardy Fish (73) to claim the 2023 ACC individual title.
The 39-year-old Rodgers significantly out-scored younger quarterback rivals Patrick Mahomes (-5 points) and Josh Allen (22) over three days on the golf course.
Rodgers's swing gained consistency as the weekend wore on as the four-time NFL MVP improved his round score each day. After shooting 6-over par (78) in Friday's first round, Rodgers trimmed five strokes off his scorecard (73) on Saturday.
Through 54 holes, he hit eight birdies and suffered 14 bogeys. Rodgers shot par or better on 74 percent of holes contested.
An apparently satisfied Rodgers posted an ode to the weekend on his Instagram feed late Sunday night and noted "had my best finish in 19 years."
2023 ACC Top 5 Finishers
1. Steph Curry — 75
2. Mardy Fish — 73
3. Joe Pavelski — 66
4. Mark Mulder — 59
5. Aaron Rodgers — 56
A pregnant woman and a sitcom star were amongst the interesting encounters that Rodgers had throughout the week in Lake Tahoe.
Everybody Loves Rodgers
The NFL quarterback and Jets' fan Ray Romano have crossed paths several times over the years as regulars at the American Century Championship, but that was when Rodgers was a Green Bay Packer.
This year, the interaction took on a different meaning for the "Everybody Loves Raymond" sitcom star.
“I said, ‘You’re one of us’ now. We talked about “Hard Knocks.” And he was positive (about the Jets’ season). He said it looks good," recounted Romano.
Rodgers’ switching of green jerseys has Romano, a Queens native, giddy on the inside, even if Jets history has him trepidatious on the outside. They haven’t won a Super Bowl title since after the 1968 season, when Romano was 11 years old and Rodgers was 15 years from being born.
More on Rodgers and Romano
Hardly Excited about 'Hard Knocks'
Sharing his thoughts with a CBS Bay Area affiliate reporter, Rodgers sounded lukewarm about having to work in the presence of HBO and NFL Films camera crews.
"I understand the appeal with us. There’s a lot of eyes on me, a lot of eyes on our team, a lot of expectations for our squad," said Rodgers in full golf attire. "They forced it down our throats and we gotta deal with it.”
Rodgers made the on-camera comments from the 14th green during Wednesday's practice round.
More on Rodgers and "Hard Knocks"
An Unusual Autograph
Rodgers took time to interact with fans along the course on Saturday.
In a lighthearted moment, the NBC cameras captured him signing an autograph on a pregnant woman's exposed belly.
The expecting mother can be heard telling Rodgers, "this is our second."
"This is the first one of those I've ever signed," said the Jets' quarterback.
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