SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Nev. — Joe Pavelski caught fire late, birdieing his final three holes Saturday to pull into a tie atop the American Century Championship leaderboard with former soccer standout Taylor Twellman.
Pavelski, who finished runner-up to Mardy Fish in last year’s celebrity tournament at Edgewood Tahoe, racked up 21 points in the modified Stableford scoring system during his second round. That puts him level with Twellman at 44 points heading into Sunday’s final round.
“Obviously, Twellman has been playing great,” Pavelski said. “To finish birdie, birdie, birdie and be tied with him, I’ll take that all day.”
The former NHL star entered Saturday with the first-round lead, but Twellman’s 23-point performance created the deadlock. Country music artist Jake Owen isn’t far behind, sitting in third place with 41 points after posting Saturday’s best round with 25 points.
Carolina Panthers receiver Adam Thielen lurks just four points off the lead at 40 after matching Pavelski’s 21-point day. Golf legend Annika Sorenstam remains in striking distance with 37 total points following a 20-point round.
Three-time champions Tony Romo and Mark Mulder are tied at 36 points with MLB Hall of Famer John Smoltz. Defending NBA champion Stephen Curry, who won this event in 2023, posted 14 points Saturday to reach 35 overall, the same total as former tennis star Mardy Fish.
Charles Barkley’s tournament took a turn for the worse. After a promising first round that had him tied for 24th, Barkley lost 16 points Saturday to plummet to a tie for 61st in the 90-player field. He sits at minus-7 points overall.
The shot of the day belonged to former MLB star Jimmy Rollins, who aced the 154-yard, par-3 12th hole. His hole-in-one earned him a $325,000 Mastercraft boat.
