2026 ACC winner Mardy Fish explains why golf wasn’t the only big win on Lake Tahoe

2026 ACC winner Mardy Fish explains why golf wasn’t the only big win on Lake Tahoe originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Stateline, NV – Mardy Fish won his third American Century Championship on Sunday with a score of 72 to knock off the defending champion, Joe Pavelski, who had 62 in the celebrity golf tournament.

The American Century Championship uses a modified Stableford scoring system that rewards points for eagles (6), birdies (3), and pars (1). Bogeys are worth 0 points, and double bogeys or worse are minus-2 points. Players pick up their ball once they reach double bogey.

Fish’s victory speech included a statement that his time on Lake Tahoe this past week was about more than the tournament, which he clearly took seriously enough to take down what was, in Fish’s words, one of the best fields the tournament has seen. Fish denied my Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa comparison on Saturday after round two, touting the depth of the field.

When I asked Fish at the presser what the biggest win of the week was, besides the obvious title victory, he shared a thoughtful answer on elements like his family and the friends he’s made at the ACC every year.

“It’s such a familiar and awesome place”

“I mean, my biggest win was getting my sister to bring her kids out. That was a huge win. That was tough to do from Bloomington, Indiana, but they made it. So they’re going to have to come back every year now, or at least next year, if I win,” Fish said. “There are a lot of people that you see just once a year that you see here. And again, the vibe is so fun. It’s a family-friendly atmosphere, on the golf course and off the golf course, and at night.

“Every single year, they just do such an awesome job of — every corner of it. Mike Milthorpe is putting on such a professional event in terms of the scoring and sort of the golf part. And American Century and NBC Sports. NBC Sports makes you feel like — they’ve got TV cameras out there. This is not for me — it shouldn’t be for me. And they make us feel like we’re pros for a week.

“American Century does such an awesome job of creating such a fun family-friendly atmosphere. And over the years, I’ve become such good friends with those guys, Jonathan Thomas and Jon Miller and Gary Quinn and these guys.

“I don’t just see them here. We text all the time and chat all the time throughout the year. They’re just awesome people, and they’re good friends. You just see a lot of people that you sort of never see. And that goes inside the ropes, too.

“Steph is a good example. We’ve struck up an awesome friendship over the years. And we met here. I’ve made some awesome relationships inside the ropes here that have manifested outside. It’s such a familiar and awesome place.”

With over 102,000 in attendance, the 2026 tournament was yet another unbridled success. NBC, American Century, and all of its affiliate partners pulled off another masterclass in creating a destination event for the entire country.

If you’ve never been, you should have the 2027 American Century Championship circled on your calendar already.