Charles Barkley on the first round of the 2024 American Century Championship.
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Jerry Rice, the NFL legend with enough golf talent that he has earned invites to a couple of Korn Ferry Tour events, likely didn’t see it coming. Nor surely did the long-hitting Kelce brothers, also of pigskin fame; or golf-mad comedian Colin Jost; or single-digit handicaps like former NBA great Vince Carter, ESPN college hoops sharpie Jay Bilas or actor Don Cheadle. But on Sunday evening at the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, the once-unthinkable had happened: Charles Barkley had outplayed them all — plus 24 other competitors — to finish solo 58th in what is the game’s ultimate barometer of celebrity golf prowess.
Fifty-eighth place might not sound like cause for celebration or recognition, but this is Sir Charles we’re talking about, the same guy who has battled swing yips so debilitating you wouldn’t wish them on your worst enemy. Barkley slaying those demons with the help of swing whisperer Stan Utley is not news — if you’ve seen Barkley’s move in the last few years, you know it is much improved — but until last week Barkley’s refined mechanics had translated into no better than a 69th-place finish at the American Century, and that was in 2020 when only 70 players were in the field. In 2021, he finished 76th, in ’22 he clocked in at 74th and a year ago he was a lowly 81st. In other words, if you wanted to quickly reference how Barkley fared in this event, your best tactic was to start at the bottom of the board and scroll up.
But the times (and swing) they are a-changin’. Barkley has been working on his game with the same kind of dogged commitment that helped make him an 11-time NBA all-star. That he lives in a golf hotbed (Scottsdale, Ariz.) hasn’t hurt, nor has his TNT broadcasting schedule. When the NBA season concludes in June, Barkley is off until early fall — free time that he fills nearly exclusively with golf.
He’s had a revered teacher at his side, too. When Barkley and Utley began working together in 2018, the instructor characterized Barkley’s hitch-ridden move as “close to the worst swing I’ve worked with.” Utley was never going to get Barkley swinging like Adam Scott but he did effectively help his student unclutter his mind of a barrage of swing thoughts and get him focused on releasing the clubhead through the ball. Over time, the stiltedness left Barkley’s swing and more athleticism came back into it.
“The one thing you have going for you — like, regular humans don’t have the same skill — is you have great hands,” Utley told Barkley in an excellent video Golf Digest video published earlier this year. “Even if it’s not on purpose, your hands understand.”
As in, Barkley’s hands instinctively know how to deliver the clubface squarely to the ball — not every time but enough times during a round to make Barkley dangerous again.
Barkley’s start in Tahoe last week — a double-bogey 6 at the opener — was no indicator that he was in for a historically good performance. But then he quickly settled down and made three straight pars, which in the event’s Stableford format was good for a combined three points (eagles = 6 points; birdies = 3; pars = 1; bogeys = 0; and double bogeys or worse = -2). In the next five holes, Barkley made two doubles and a bogey but also two birdies to turn in 41. After four more pars on the back nine, Barkley signed for a 12-over 84, his best-ever score at the American Century. Also a first: he was in the black, at +3 points.
“It’s the best I’ve ever probably played anywhere,” he crowed after his round. “I played really well. I was really confident.” Barkley was quick to praise his caddie (“gave me some good reads”), the greens (“perfect shape”) and Utley (“got me playing great golf”).
Backing up a career round is never easy, but on Saturday, Barkley almost did, carding another five pars and a birdie to shoot 87, which kept him at +3 overall. (For perspective, Tony Romo, who has won this event three times, accumulated just 6 points and 2 points, respectively, in his first two rounds.) Sir Charles’ cool-off came in Sunday’s final round when he made fours pars and a birdie but also seven doubles to shoot 91 and lose seven points. That dropped him to -4 points overall and into 58th place. It wasn’t the finish Barkley wanted but it was his best American Century result in 29 appearances.
“It feels really good. I put a lot of time and effort in,” he said afterward. “I’ve been working hard for the last few years.” Despite his Sunday struggles, Barkley said the final round “probably was my best day because I didn’t have any good stuff going early but I kept battling. I’m really proud about today’s round.”
To what did Barkley attribute his final-round slide? A late Saturday night didn’t help, he said.
“A little tired, a little hungover,” he said. “But I kept battling.”
