Mark Mulder was more than an accomplished pitcher on the big-league circuit. His two All-Star appearances and 103 wins as an MLB hurler certainly attest to that.
But Mulder's golf game perhaps exceeds his talents as a pitcher. He will have an unprecedented opportunity to win the American Century Championship—celebrity golf's premier event for the fourth year in a row.
Mulder was first person to ever threepeat the American Century Championship, and a fourth win would tie him with former NFL quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver and just behind former MLB pitcher Rick Rhoden (eight wins, most recently in 2009) and former NHL player Dan Quinn (five, most recently 2012).
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Mulder is the favorite to win the tournament at 5/2, which were set by Harrah’s Tahoe Sportsbook Director Dave Cudney.
Mulder’s victory last year was dominant; he topped second place-finisher (and another former MLB pitcher) Derek Lowe by 11 points. The modified Stableford event forgoes strokes for a points system: Players got 6 points for eagle, 3 for birdie, 1 for par, 0 for bogey and minus-2 for double bogey or higher. In this format, the objective is the highest score, not the usual low score of stroke play.
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This scoring system has lent itself to a proposition bet between Mulder and Charles Barkley on who will have a better score, with Barkley being spotted 152 points. The worst any one player can shoot over the weekend is a 108.
Mulder had rounds of 72, 69 and 69 on the par-72 course last year. He earned $125,000.
He has been so dominant that his children think of the event as “the tournament where they get to run onto the green” in celebration of his win.
Mulder will chase his fourth straight win on July 13, when the American Century Championship tees off at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada. However, he doesn’t think the pressure of being the champion is comparable to the pressure he felt while pitching.
“The pressure is different. With baseball, I’m as confident as ever out there on the mound,” said Mulder. “On the golf course, they’re going to announce my name each day and my hands are going to be shaking.”
His adrenaline gets so bad, particularly on the 17th hole, that he often has to choose a shorter club or otherwise he will overshoot the green.
“We all have shots where we can’t believe the ball went that far,” he said.
Among those trying to dethrone Mulder will be former Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien, who was the last to win before Mulder back in 2014. That was his second victory, with his first coming in the inaugural championship in 1990.
“I don’t know what I was doing in the 24 years in between,” said Rypien. “Maybe enjoying Tahoe too much.”
Rypien and Mulder both spoke to the chirping and trash talk that goes on at the driving range and throughout the tournament. And with Mulder the reigning champion, a lot of that gets directed at him.
“Mulder was on the range one day and Larry the Cable Guy saw him,” recounted Rypien. “And he said, ‘I’m coming after you today Mulder.’”
Larry the Cable Guy’s odds were set at 5000/1.
Mulder described the event as an outlet for athletes who lost somewhere to vent their athletic energies after retiring.
“Your career ends and you don’t have anywhere to compete,” said Mulder. “This tournament gives us somewhere to compete. This is our Super Bowl.”
Rypien thinks having a guy on top gives all the other players someone to gun for, but knows that if Mulder is on his game, there isn’t much anyone can do to stop him. He said that if Mulder had not been coming off of his Achilles injury during the 2014 tournament, Rypien would have probably lost to Mulder instead of winning his second championship. And that if it weren’t for one errant tee shot in 2013, he might have won then too.
“It’s always good to see someone playing well out there, and it makes you play all the better,” said Rypien.
Mulder is not worried about any of the people behind him, he’s just going to play.
“I hit the ball and I find it. I try not to worry about what other guys are doing.”
The 29th annual American Century Championship will tee off on July 13.