With his father’s memory and motivational talks racing through his head, Vinny Del Negro came on strong down the stretch and walked away a winner.
He then gave an emotionally charged post-match victory interview, dedicating his win to his father, Vincent, who died Wednesday at age 85.
Del Negro said he didn’t want to let his father down.
Del Negro beat John Smoltz in a sudden-death playoff in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament at Edgewood Tahoe on Sunday. It was the fourth playoff in ACC history.
Del Negro won $125,000 for his win.
“I don’t even care about that. I just care about my dad. I care about celebrating with my wife, my buddies and representing American Century, NBC and the tournament the right way. I’ve been doing it a long time here. It’s been incredible,” Del Negro said. “To be the first basketball guy to me is special. But of course, that’s great. But at the end of the day, it’s about the memories. We’re all going to pass some time, but you’ve got the memories, you know what I’m saying?”
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Del Negro, who played and coached in the NBA, said he drew on his basketball experience to get through the tournament.
He considered withdrawing and going back to Boston, but said his father would have wanted him to stay and compete.
He said they spent the previous week together and had many good discussions while his father was in hospice care.
“It was like he was having some bad times and then all of a sudden he would kind of rejuvenate,” Del Negro said. “And I talked to him Tuesday. And we had a good conversation. And when I left there, we talked about things and how much this tournament meant to me. And he was kind of like, go there and play well. Go there and play the way you can.”
Del Negro said his father told him to not put so much pressure on himself.
“Man up and get it done. Tough it out. That’s what he was telling me. That’s all I was thinking about,” Del Negro said. “I just pictured in my head him just talking to me, like, man up, tough it out. Get it done. Don’t worry about me. Get it done. That’s what he would have said. He was an old Italian tough guy. He’s had a triple bypass and strokes and pacemakers. He’s legally blind. He made it to 85. I’ve had my father for 85 years. How lucky am I, a guy that pushed me and was never good enough, and he made me the player and the coach and the person I am.”
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Del Negro and Smoltz each scored 69 points after regulation, then Del Negro won the first playoff hole.
On the final hole of regulation, Del Negro, 54 made a birdie on No. 18 to score 69 points, while Smoltz made a par for 1 point in the Modified Stableford scoring system. Tony Romo finished third with 66 points.
Del Negro said he was thinking about what his father would have told him throughout the tournament.
“I did it for you. You’re my rock. I love you. I miss you. And I won this for you,” Del Negro said he would tell his father. “And man, it’s tough. There’s just so much stuff going through my head. But every shot was, like, for him. Like, every walk was for him. Every putt was for him because I wouldn’t be playing in this thing with him pushing me all those years to play and tough it out and whatever I was doing, playing, coaching, didn’t matter. So this is for my dad. My wife Lynn, everybody, I love you, and I can’t wait to celebrate with them.”
It is Del Negro’s first win in the celebrity tournament in his 20th appearance. He is the first basketball player to win the event and the second oldest. Rick Rhoden won when he was 56.
Del Negro said he only slept about two hours a night since arriving in South Lake Tahoe.
“I didn’t really care if I slept. I figure I can sleep this week or whatever. It wasn’t a lot of hours to sleep. That wasn’t important to me,” he said. “What was important to me is making sure my mom, my wife, my sisters, everyone is doing OK with everything. And it was a blessing my father passed. He’s been sick for a while. And it was a blessing I got to spend a week with him, talk about a lot of stuff that — he’s been my biggest supporter over the years and just kind of pushed me.”
“For my dad, it was always tough. Push. Believe in yourself. Don’t give up. I’m not sure I would have been an NBA player or been standing here, or been an NBA coach. So he was a tough guy. And I miss him, but I have the memories.”
He entered the ACC at 75-to-1 odds, but said he did not bet any money on himself.
Smoltz and Del Negro played in the same group Sunday, but Smoltz said he did not know of Vincent’s death.
He said playing competitive golf is hard enough under the best circumstances.
“When you’re heartbroken, but trying to focus, you can pull from some things that happened to you in your career. I heard him say a lot, ‘Lock in, Vinny; lock in, Vinny,’ on a lot of different shots,” Smoltz said. “So whatever mental cues he was using and whatever heartfelt feelings he was having, he did not let any of us know what was going on.”
Smoltz, who led after the first two rounds, said he lost his swing on the back nine Sunday.
“I’m grinding out some things physically, but I just didn’t get enough good swings that I needed off the tee,” Smoltz said. “I played almost perfect the first two days off the tee. Today, I was either a step in the rough or just didn’t judge some shots very well.
“I was in position, but I left too many balls in the bunker. Had a couple of plugged lies in the bunker. So I didn’t make a double bogey all three days. That was my goal.”
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