Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo rallied from four points back to win his first American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe, Nev., on Sunday.
Romo, who retired after the 2016 NFL season and is now CBS' No. 1 NFL color commentator, had 27 points Sunday to beat three-time defending champion Mark Mulder.
"It's a special win," said Romo, who had finished second three times in seven previous trips to the annual celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. "It feels like you're playing a tournament back home here. The day felt good for a lot of reasons."
Romo tapped in for par, worth one point, on the 18th hole to finish with 71 points, three ahead of Mulder, a former major league pitcher.
The American Century Championship uses a modified Stableford scoring system, which rewards points for eagles (six), birdies (three) and pars (one), and deducts points (two) for double bogeys or worse. Bogeys are worth zero points.
Romo plays as an amateur, so his $125,000 first-place check from the $600,000 purse will go to local charities and the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, the primary charitable arm of title sponsor American Century Investments.
Rounding out the top five were San Jose Sharks captain Joe Pavelski and former NBA guard Ray Allen in a tie for third with 66 points apiece, and Trent Dilfer -- a Super Bowl-winning quarterback with the Baltimore Ravens in 2001 -- and former tennis player Mardy Fish in a tie for fifth with 62 points.
Billups talk
Chauncey Billups wants to run an NBA team.
The former Pistons standout was back in the Detroit area Friday night as part of the BIG3 -- entertainer Ice Cube's 3-on-3 league of former NBA players, which made a stop at Little Caesars Arena.
Billups had talks with the Cleveland Cavaliers last year but did not join their front office. When Detroit overhauled its organization this year, he seemed like a potential fit, but that didn't happen either.
"My desire is to one day run a team, be in a front office and try to build a champion," Billups said. "I know that I will, and I know I'm going to do a good job. When that opportunity presents itself, and it's a good opportunity, I'll be ready to go."
Billups is still viewed fondly in Detroit after leading the Pistons to the NBA title in 2004. The team played at The Palace of Auburn Hills back then.
"It's always good to be here. Everybody knows how much I love the city, love the fans. Obviously, I never had the opportunity to play in this building. I wish we would have. I wish we played in the city when we were here," Billups said. "But The Palace was good to us. The city was good to us, the fans. So it's always good to be back here. I'm such a big Pistons fan. ... I'm excited for the team for next year. The East is wide open, and I'm excited for the team. New coach, new everything."
Big O Auction
Oscar Robertson's 1971 NBA championship ring is among the basketball Hall of Famer's items up for auction.
Robertson's Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ring and induction trophy, 11 of his NBA All-Star rings, and his game-worn jerseys from the Milwaukee Bucks and University of Cincinnati are also included in the Lelands.com 2018 Invitational Auction.
An announcement Sunday said each item in the 51-item lot -- including Robertson's 1956 Indiana high school basketball championship ring and his 1958-59 college player of the year award -- will include letters of authenticity signed by Robertson, who was honored last month with the NBA's Lifetime Achievement Award.
The auction runs through Aug. 17. Information is available at www.Lelands.com.
Sports on 07/17/2018