Former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will join over 85 celebrities at NBC’s 2026 American Century Championship this weekend. The annual charity golf tournament takes place Friday through Sunday at Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nevada.
Tickets remain available for the event running July 10-12.
Fitzpatrick discussed his tournament preparation using the Performance Golf PG1 app and shared his thoughts on several college football topics.
Tournament Favorites and Expectations
Fitzpatrick doesn’t expect to contend for the title but has clear favorites in mind.
“The American Century Championship is incredible. I will not be one of the guys taking this thing, but to me, I think Steph Curry goes in as the favorite. He won in 2023, and that’s a guy that I’m pulling for. I’m super interested to see if he could do it again.”
Other players he’s watching include John Smoltz and Tony Romo, who struggled with chipping issues last year. Annika Sorenstam also draws his attention as someone who consistently finishes in the top five.
Golf Game Improvement
The former quarterback credits the PG1 app with significantly improving his game ahead of this year’s tournament.
Performance Golf scanned his swing and identified one key flaw causing most of his bad shots. Working with instructor Martin Chuck, Fitzpatrick says fixing that single issue improved multiple aspects of his game.
“So I’m going into this tournament, hitting the ball much better than I ever have. The cool thing for me was essentially, it was one thing when they analyzed it, and they said, you need to focus and fix this, and it seems to have fixed about nine other things in my game.”
The app gives him something he never had in golf – a fundamental to return to when struggling, similar to how he approached football.
“I think everybody who has played golf before has had that feeling when you’re standing over a golf ball of like, ‘Oh my gosh, where’s this thing going to go?'” Fitzpatrick explained.
College Football Integrity Issues
When asked about quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s situation regarding CFL eligibility and NFL draft status, Fitzpatrick emphasized the importance of maintaining league integrity.
Without commenting specifically on Sorsby’s case, he noted the increased scrutiny around player gambling as professional leagues have partnered with betting companies.
“Whatever professional league it is, integrity is the most important part. Knowing that players aren’t participating in gambling, it just becomes more of a thing because of how each league has let DraftKings, FanDuel, and all these gambling sites into their leagues.”
Harvard Football’s Future
Fitzpatrick wants to see his alma mater continue expanding its non-conference scheduling. Harvard will play Montana State in 2028, representing the type of challenging matchups he’d like to see more often.
He believes Ivy League education remains valuable for student-athletes, even in the NIL era.
The graduate transfer option has created new opportunities for Ivy League players. After four years and graduation, they can transfer elsewhere for a fifth year of eligibility while pursuing graduate degrees.
“A really nice addition is guys being able to be at Harvard or whatever Ivy League institution it is for four years who are not really playing their freshman year, able to graduate, and then go and play somewhere else for that fifth year,” Fitzpatrick said.
Former Harvard quarterback Jaden Craig will start at TCU this season, exemplifying this new path for Ivy League transfers.
