Three former Pittsburgh Steelers in Mike Vrabel, Patrick Peterson and Jerome Bettis participated in the American Century Championship, a celebrity golf tournament, and after the second round today, both Peterson and Bettis ranked inside the top 50.
Peterson started the day T46 but is currently T35 after shooting an eight today. The American Century Championship uses points-based scoring, which is different than the typical strokes-based scoring that most golf tournaments use. The tournament uses a modified Stableford format, which awards 10 points for an Albatross (getting in the hole in two shots on a Par 5), eight points for a hole-in-one, six points for an eagle, three points for a birdie, one point for a par, 0 points for a bogey, and -2 for a double bogey or worse, although -2 is the worst that you can do.
Bettis shot a three today to give him a total of ten points, which has him ranked T41. Peterson is at a 12 for the tournament. Vrabel started the day T46 but shot -3 today, which moved him down to T55.
The event takes place at Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Lake Tahoe, Nev. Last year, NBA player Stephen Curry won the tournament, and through two rounds this year, former pro tennis player Mardy Fish is on top with a score of 57. As he’s a member of the USA Men’s Basketball team that will participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Curry could not participate in the event, making it the first time since 2012 he isn’t involved. The top five is rounded out by NHL player Joe Pavelski, Carolina Panthers WR Adam Thielen, and former MLB pitchers Derek Lowe and Mark Mulder.
Bettis and Peterson both have participated in the event before. Last year, Bettis finished ahead of Peterson, finishing T-37 while Peterson came in 45th. This year, it looks like Peterson will finish ahead of Bettis, but Day 3 still looms.
Vrabel doesn’t look to have much of a shot of beating Peterson or Bettis, but after the tournament is over, he’ll put his energy into trying to beat the Steelers in 2024, as he’s serving as a consultant for the Cleveland Browns after being let go as head coach of the Tennessee Titans.
With the third day tomorrow, it’ll be fun to watch to see which former Steeler winds up on top as the best golfer.
