Charles Barkley is coming off his best celebrity golf performance ever but remains the biggest long shot in the field to win this week’s American Century Championship at South Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
Barkley’s odds? 7,500-1 at Caesars Sportsbook. Those odds have enticed a select few bettors to invest in the Basketball Hall of Famer with the unusual swing. He finished in a career-best 58th place at last year’s tournament.
The sportsbook set the over/under on Barkley’s finishing position at 65.5 this week.
“We have seen a handful of tickets on Barkley to win it all, but we may see those tickets on eBay soon,” Anthony Salleroli, lead golf oddsmaker for Caesars Sportsbook, joked in an email to ESPN.
Former tennis pro Mardy Fish won the tournament last year, but retired hockey player Joe Pavelski is the betting favorite at this week’s tournament, just ahead of the past three champions at the annual event. Pavelski is +220 to win the tournament at Caesars Sportsbook, followed by Fish (+240), CBS NFL analyst and former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (+350) and Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry (+425).
Salleroli said the betting action on the event’s winner was relatively evenly divided between Pavelski, Fish, Curry and Romo. Curry won the tournament in 2023, and Romo won in 2022.
Other notable players in 90-golfer field include Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (45-1), actor Alfonso Ribeiro (175-1), Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (275-1), ESPN analyst Jason Kelce (350-1) and comedian Larry the Cable Guy (2,000-1).
