Singer/Actor Justin Timberlake, with the casinos as a backdrop, rolls this putt on the 3rd hole at Edgewood. Photo by William A. Scales

STATELINE, Nev. — Stars from across the athletic and entertainment world flocked to Stateline, Nevada for the 28th Annual American Century Golf Championship July 11-16.

The ACGC is an opportunity for people to get up close to their idols.

“I always watched the tournament on TV. I am a golfer and I am a very avid fan of Aaron Rodgers. And I am from Green Bay. So I came here to see Aaron, and I was able to get picked,” said volunteer Deb Stevens of Madison, Wis. who said she almost fainted when she met Rodgers.

The week’s festivities started with a putting tutorial and speech from professional golfer Paige Spiranac for the Boys & Girls Club of South Lake Tahoe.

Another moment came in the first round on the 10th tee when the Lake Tahoe Fire Department recognized Charles Barkley for donating money to the Angora fire relief fund in 2007. Barkley once again finished last out of the 88 golfers in the field.

Matt Ivey, 40, of Petaluma said there is a reason Tahoe is special.

“When you combine the atmosphere that is here with the scenery and the beauty there’s not that much that compares to it. The lake out here is something that’s spectacular and then you’ve got the trees and the mountains,” Ivey said.

Former Sacramento King Doug Christie said he was grateful to be working in Tahoe for the first time even though he was envious of the participants.

“I’m enjoying myself immensely. It’s an absolutely beautiful place and the people have been fantastic,” Christie said.

With everything going on during the week at Edgewood it is easy to forget a golf tournament took place.

Former Oakland Athletics pitcher Mark Mulder, with a 73 score, became the first person in tournament history to win the event three years in a row. Mardy Fish took second and Derek Lowe was third. The Tournament featured a $600,000 purse, with $125,000 to the winner.

“I said to you guys yesterday how much pressure, the comments my kids made leading up to this tournament. They think it’s just the tournament where they get to run out on the green,” Mulder said. “And it’s really cool that I was able to back that up, to be honest with you, because if you think for a second I wasn’t nervous about it, I didn’t feel the pressure, you’re crazy; I did.”

Mulder also became the first person to win the closest to the pin competition and the tournament at the same time.

Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry said he was enjoying the moment and not worried about his PGA event in August.

“I’m just trying to have fun and enjoy this atmosphere, because it’s such a fun weekend,” he said. “I try not to take it too serious out on the course and psych myself out and just have fun. That’s usually when I play my best basketball and golf.”

Wounded Warrior Chad Pfeifer added some perspective.

“I had a bulging disk in my back that happened in September, and so I was just on crutches for most of the winter. The Diamond Resorts event that was in Florida in January, you know, I had just gotten up on a prosthetic two days before I went down there. So my goal down there was just to not injure myself even more,” Pfeifer said. “Grateful for the opportunity to get invited back. And you look at the field and for a guy that was doing his job one day and got blown up; I’m just thrilled to be here.”

This year’s ACGC set an attendance record of 55,801 spectators. The 2018 event will be held July 10-15.