The 35th edition of the American Century Championship, better known as the “Super Bowl of Celebrity Golf,” begins this weekend. The tournament, which features Kansas City Chiefs players, legends, and other stars, will award $750,000 in prize money. Over the years, celebrity participants have donated nearly $8 million to non-profit causes.
Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Award Winning Actor and tournament participant Don Cheadle about his expectations for this weekend’s event at Lake Tahoe and revealed when he first became a Chiefs fan.
“It’s just a great opportunity to test yourself and come together with other golf geeks from different disciplines and people we don’t get to see,” Cheadle explained. “I don’t necessarily bump into each other often, and then kind of get to meet again. It’s kind of a reunion of sorts and a lot of fun. You have the opportunity actually to walk inside and feel some of the structure and what it must be like [to be a professional golfer]. [I’m] a lightweight, but it’s kind of like being there on tour and getting to pretend to be golfers for a minute.”
Cheadle was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, and has experienced many years of Chiefs football and its impact on the community. He would eventually move to Denver, Colorado, home of one of the Chiefs’ biggest division rivals.
“I’m from Kansas City, and it was to be a Chiefs fan or be excommunicated and kicked out of my house,” Cheadle said, “so, I was definitely [a fan of] the Chiefs. When I was first watching the Chiefs, Len Dawson was the quarterback. So that’s how long ago that was. I’ve been rooting for a long time, and then I moved to Denver a little later, and, kind of had some torn allegiance there because, you know, I had a lot of AFC [West] drama in my life, but whenever Denver is playing the Chiefs, I usually root for the Chiefs anyway. That’s the history of my [football] background.”
Since starting his career in 1984, Cheadle has been one of his generation’s most critically acclaimed and accomplished actors. He has earned many accolades, including two Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Check out the website for more information about the American Century Championship.