Approximately 20,000 people continued their run to cooler temps Friday as day 1 of the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship got underway in 91-degree South Lake Tahoe. After day 1, Carolina Panther Adam Thielen leads the tournament by a slim one-point margin.
Many Folsom residents made the trek up on annual trips, like Lisa & Nolan Shifflet and their two boys. This is their 6th year attending the tournament and they call it a great family experience.
They spent most of Friday running around Holes 17 and 18 to snap some pictures and get autographs of their favorite celebrities. While their two boys, Luke (11) and Jake (7), got most of the autographs and pictures, the parents who come up aren’t left out either, with the likes of Carson Daly, Miles Teller, and of course the heartthrob of many moms, Jason Kelce, playing as well. Lisa, who lives in Folsom and owns Wildfire Beauty + Boutique, scored an autograph from one of her favorite celebrities here,
‘Well, I just love Nate Bargatze, and even though he’s not a huge sports star, I think he’s hilarious and very down to earth.’ He ended up signing her son’s hat because he yelled to Nate, ‘my mom loves you.’
It’s not just the fans in the crowds that make this a yearly jaunt up to Tahoe; many of the hundreds of volunteers who help run the tournament come from Folsom and surrounding communities.
Dave Huusko, pastor of Hope Church in Folsom, has been volunteering at the tournament for 14 years. This year he’s the 17th green captain, in charge of what’s known as the party hole on this course. He summed up his weekend saying, ‘The celebrities are just absolutely wonderful, and most of the crowd is pretty cool too, so it’s a good time.’
His longtime friend Matt Turner, who works at Cal-ISO in Folsom, has volunteered with him for the last 4 years. They are the ones you see on TV around the walkways and greens. As they prepared for this year’s most popular group, featuring Travis and Jason Kelce and WWE Superstar The Miz, they reminisced, ‘It’s fun to watch the people out here having fun in a beautiful setting,’ said Turner.
Folsom Times photos by Bryan Greenwalt
The celebrities love this tournament too, and many return year after year to become fan favorites. Such is the case for Alfonso Ribeiro, best known for his role as Carlton Banks in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He had the highlight of Friday’s round on the 17th green when he drained a 40-foot birdie putt and then delighted the fans with his iconic dance, ‘The Carlton.’ ‘It’s always fun to drain a putt like that; it doesn’t happen that often on 17, but it’s a great hole to do it on,’ he commented after the putt.
Saturday’s tickets are sold out, but there are still limited tickets available for the final round on Sunday. Tickets are $50 for adults, and kids get in free with a paid adult. It’s a great place to bring your family for a day of fun, laughs, and adventures, not to mention the cooler temps.”
