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USA Today
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Celebrity golf, comedy similar for Nate Bargatze at the American Century Championship
STATELINE, Nev. — Standing on a stage by yourself telling jokes is a lot like playing golf. Bo one is coming to save you. Comedian Nate Bargatze is hoping that mentality can help him this week at Edgewood Tahoe golf course in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament. Bargatze was already becoming a household name before he was invited to play in the celebrity tournament in 2023. But his portrayal of George Washington, twice, in skits on Saturday Night Live over the past two seasons, propelled him into the stratosphere. Bargatze is know for his deadpan humor and his portrayal of the first president in a skit called 'Washington's Dream' has become one of the most-watched skits in the 50-year history of SNL, racking up 4 million views on YouTube over its 12 days of availability. In the 4-minute, 40-second skit, set during the Revolutionary War, Bargatze pokes fun at language irregularities as he reminds his troops that they're fighting for the right to determine their new country's system of weights and measures, one that's different than Great Britain's. One example is Bargatze says the word 'dozen' will be used for 12 items, but there won't be any word for 10, nor any other number. In the sketch, he says kindergarten will designate the first year of school, to be followed by first grade, and that hamburgers will be made of beef, drawing confused looks from his men. This week at Edgewood, Bargatze compared playing golf to being on stage. "You learn to get comfortable out here. Once you get comfortable with everybody out here, then it's a lot of fun," Bargatze told the RGJ. "It's all on you, so when it goes bad, it's all on you. No one is coming to rescue you. I think that's why comics tend to like golf is because of that — you're just by yourself." Bargatze said at the time he was performing those two skits on SNL, he did not realize they would garner so much attention. "I didn't think it would go what it did, but it changed everything," Bargatze said. Bargatze said if he is invited back on SNL, he would like to do a third 'Washington' sketch. SNL writer Colin Jost is also playing at Edgewood this week. On Thursday, Jost and Bargatze completed filming a movie called 'The Breadwinner,' which he said is similar to the 1983 Michael Keaton film 'Mr. Mom.' "I tried to make sure it got wrapped before this tournament," Bargatze said of the movie. "I think it's going to be a great movie. It's funny and I look forward to doing more." Bargatze was paired with Charles Barkley and Larry The Cable Guy on Friday and with Joe Buck and Justin Gaethje on Saturday. Barkley plays with Larry at least one round every year at Edgewood. "Me and Larry are like twin brothers now. I play with Larry every year," Barkley said. "Me and Nate, I got to spend some time with Nate. But you think about it, I get to play with those two guys who are amazing at what they do in their life. Normally I wouldn't get to play golf -- I get to play golf with some superstars for three days." George Kittle and curling San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is making his debut at Edgewood this summer, and if he has a chance, he'd like to return to the lake this fall for the six-day Gand Slam of Curling, being held Nov. 4-9 at Tahoe Blue Event Center. "I'm stoked. If there's any opportunity for me to get up there during the season, I'm going to try my best to be up there," Kittle said. "I'd just like to continue to get more fans interested in curling. I think everybody will thoroughly, thoroughly enjoy it. Excited for them to get that opportunity." The International Grand Slam of Curling event will feature the best curlers from around the world, 16 men's and women's international curling teams. Tickets for GSOC Tahoe are on sale with discounted rates available for local Nevada and California residents in person at the Vacasa Box Office at the Tahoe Blue Event Center. Rollins wins a boat Former MLB player Jimmy Rollins picked a good place for his career hole-in-one. It earned him a new boat. Rollins had a hole-in-one Saturday morning in the ACC celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe. He aced hole No. 12 with a wedge and won a Mastercraft boat worth $325,000. He said the volunteer on the hole gave him some advice before his shot "As we pulled up to the hole, the volunteer there, she was like, 'They got this right up there for you guys. They really want to give away this boat.' I was like, 'Oh, they do? She was like, 'Yeah. It's right up front. All you have to do is land it to the right and let it feed to the left,'" Rollins said. "I've been close a number of times, so I didn't anticipate it going in. I just figure, of course it's going to cross over the front of the hole, go tap in for a birdie. "It goes in. And I look at (my caddie), he's sky-high, and I don't know what to do. I'm just, like, 'Sure.' He's a pretty big guy. I had to make sure I got off the ground. I'm only 175 pounds. I'm not used to hitting men like that." Rollins, making his fifth appearance at Edgewood, is tied for 45th with plus-3 points. Tim Brown aced hole No. 12 in 2024 and also won a Mastercraft boat. Barkley falls back After the best round of his life at Edgewood on Friday, scoring nine points, Charles Barkley did not fare as well on Saturday, scoring minus-16 points, giving him minus-7 for the first two days of three-day tournament. "I didn't play well (Saturday). It was a long day. I didn't play well at all," Barkley said. "I finished strong. But I'm looking forward to tomorrow. I was up late yesterday, and I've got to play better tomorrow, plain and simple." Barkley said he feels a little pressure to finish inside the top 65 in the ACC, the line Caesars Sportsbook placed on him for bettors He is tied for 61st place heading into Sunday's final round. "I've got a lot of friends that bet on me. I don't know where I'm at right now. It's going to be -- but I'll be ready to go tomorrow," he said. American Century plans to renew sponsorship Jonathan Thomas, the president and CEO of American Century Investments, said the company plans to renew its title sponsorship through at least 2031. American Century has been the title sponsor of the celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe, now in its 36th year, for the past 27 years. Thomas said the popularity of the event has grown so much among athletes and celebrities that organizers have to carefully limit who they invite. "We went from trying to get people to come, to now having to make some really difficult choices about who we can let in," Thomas said. "We just don't have as much capacity as we wish." That limited invitation list has also helped create urgency for athletes hoping to get in. Thomas said Tony Romo told him once that when audiences see athletes talking after games, it's often about whether or not they got invited to the ACC. "My strategy is to make it so great for the celebs that it kind of goes viral among them and generates a lot of interest," Thomas said. Organizers try to get a variety of athletes and celebrities from different sports as well as from different markets and regions of the country. "As long as the great vibe continues to be maintained and the energy that you can feel is sustained, we'll keep rolling with this," Thomas said. ACC on TV Sunday Sunday, July 13: NBC, Peacock, 2:30 p.m. ET
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Tickets for Tahoe celebrity golf tournament are sold out on Friday and Saturday
The celebrity golf tournament started as a way for NBC to fill time during the baseball players strike in 1990, and has since grown exponentially to become one of the hottest tickets around Northern Nevada. This year's American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament started with practice rounds on Wednesday and there's more warm-up golf on Thursday at Edgewood Tahoe. The three-day tournament is Friday through Sunday. The ACC drew a record crowd of 77,049 fans in 2024. Here's a quick primer for first-timers or veterans heading to the lake for the ACC celebrity golf tournament. Tahoe celebrity golf tickets If you don't have tickets already, it's too late for Friday and Saturday. Officials say they are sold out for daily passes for those two days. A tournament spokesman told the RGJ tickets are limited to help enhance fan comfort, experience and safety, especially along the lake holes. Weeklong passes are still available for $162.02. Tickets are available online at Single-day tickets are $44.30 for Wednesday and Thursday, and $56.62 for Sunday. There are no ticket sales at the gate. What are the popular spots for fans at Tahoe celebrity golf? The crowd gathers along both sides of hole No. 17, the boaters on the beach side and the gallery on the course side. The usual golf decorum is absent here; music blasts from speakers on the boats and fans sing and scream and clamor for autographs. There are hundreds of boats in the water and thousands of spectators on the sand. Fans like to throw footballs and basketballs to the golfers, usually with pens taped to them so they can sign and throw them back. Tips for attending the Tahoe celebrity golf tournament To follow your favorite celebrities, there are tee time sheets available each day around the entrance gate and near the first and 10th holes, as well outside the clubhouse at Edgewood. The sheets include the groupings, which tees they are starting on and at what time they tee off. There are also volunteers all around the course who can guide you to where you want to go. The celebrities at the American Century Classic Most of the celebrities are friendly and are there to enjoy themselves. Only about 10-15 golfers in the 90-player field have a real chance to win, and they might be a little more focused on their game. The first groups tee off at 7:45 a.m. local time Friday through Sunday. The winner is usually finishing around 3 p.m. local time Sunday. Former tennis player Mardy Fish is the defending champion. More: Who's in, who's out for Tahoe celebrity golf 2025? Here's the full 90-player lineup Boat access to Edgewood Tahoe Boats congregate along the shore at holes No. 17 and No. 18. Passengers can get on the beach at both; No. 17 in particular is known for its raucous atmosphere. But you can't get onto the rest of the golf course from the shore unless you have a ticket. The earlier you get there, the closer to shore you can get. The area fills up with hundreds of boats by late morning, especially on Friday and Saturday. Weather forecast Temperatures are forecast to be in the low to mid 80s Wednesday-Sunday, but the sun is intense due to Tahoe's high elevation (6,225 feet above sea level). Wear sunscreen. More numbers Where to watch the 2025 American Century Championship Scoring The tournament will be scored using a Modified Stableford format, which encourages more aggressive play. The format awards points per hole as follows: double-eagle: 10, hole-in-one: 8, eagle: 6, birdie: 3, par: 1, bogey: 0, double bogey: minus 2.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fans Are Saying the Same Thing About Charles Barkley's Golf Swing
Charles Barkley's golf swing has once again become a topic of fascination and amusement among fans, as highlighted by a recent tweet from the PGA TOUR Champions. The video of Barkley's new and improved swing, shared alongside a detailed account of his hectic day, has sparked a wave of reactions. Advertisement Fans are universally noting the significant improvement in his technique, a stark contrast to his notoriously erratic form in the past. The transformation has turned what was once a source of humor into a testament to perseverance. Fans on X were quick to give Barkley his flowers for the dramatic improvement he's made with his swing. NBA on TNT analyst Charles Barkley signs autographs during a round of golf.© Tom R. Smedes/Special to RGJ / USA TODAY NETWORK "Unbelievable swing compared to where he started. The video of all the SEC coaches might have the best out of all them," wrote one fan. "Swing looks much better without the hitch. Looks like he put a lot of work into his golf game. Good for Barkley," added another. Advertisement "I'm glad for him. He loves the game so much and his swing was atrocious for so long," commented one user. "God damn I admire that he fixed that massive stutter swing. That would take some serious brain rewiring," said one user. "That swing lookin better," said another. The Auburn Tiger alumnus has taken pride in his golf game, noting how special the sport is due to the fact that it can be played with both children and grandchildren. As Barkley continues to balance his demanding schedule with his passion for golf, fans are rallying behind his progress, celebrating each step of his journey on the green. Related: Charles Barkley's NBA Playoffs Prediction is Turning Heads
USA Today
06-02-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Can US still equip military in time of war?
John Adams Special to the RGJ Russia's invasion of Ukraine is approaching its fourth year. And as it drags on, Washington is learning just how vulnerable our nation could be in a similar conflict. The glaring problem we now encounter is the erosion of our defense industrial base. The once-vaunted arsenal of democracy that led America to victory in World War II is long gone. Simply put, we no longer produce the weapons and munitions needed for high-intensity, industrialized conflict. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
USA Today
29-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Ask the RGJ: Will Reno, Sparks, Washoe officers help enforce ICE deportations?
Question: Will the Reno and Sparks police departments or the Washoe County Sheriff's Office help with the federal enforcement of migrant deportations? Short Answer: No, unless U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the federal government asks them for assistance. Full answer: President Donald Trump signed multiple executive orders last week on immigration, and the Justice Department vowed to investigate state and local officials who hinder the enforcement process. Roughly 184,000 Nevada residents are in the country without legal documentation, which is about 30% of the state's total immigrant population, according to the American Immigration Council. National Immigration Law Center vice president of law and policy Lisa Graybill told USA Today that the 10th Amendment prevents the federal government from forcing local and state officials to use their resources for federal use. However, state and local officials can choose to cooperate. Washoe County Sheriff's Office Washoe sheriff's spokesperson Cade Goodman told the RGJ that the sheriff's policy was not to step in, as their only role was to assist when there are concerns to public safety. 'Immigration enforcement is the responsibility of federal agencies,' Sheriff Darin Balaam said in a statement. 'If a specific request is made by ICE or another federal agency, we will provide support services as required during their operations.' Under the sheriff's office's policy, they are not to question the immigration status of individuals unless it's relevant to a crime or investigation, and the fact that an individual is suspected of being undocumented 'shall not be the sole basis for contact, detention, or arrest.' Reno Police Department Reno police spokesperson Chris Johnson said their policy is similar to the county's, vowing not to contact or stop a person 'merely on suspicion that the person is present in the United States illegally.' 'It is the policy of the Reno Police Department to treat everyone in accordance with our core values, regardless of one's actual or perceived citizenship status,' Johnson said in a statement to the RGJ. However, Reno police policy also states that the department is allowed to assist ICE with investigations when requested, with the approval from the chief of police. Sparks Police Department Sparks police spokesperson Julie Duewel told the RGJ that Sparks has not received any requests from the federal government to collaborate on immigration enforcement. Sparks police has no formal policy on immigration assistance, according to their website. Jaedyn Young covers local government for the Reno Gazette-Journal. Her wages are 100% funded by donations and grants; if you'd like to see more stories like this one, please consider donating Send your story ideas and feedback to Jaedyn atjyoung@
