Mardy Fish sets course record, wins American Century Championship

After five consecutive Top-5 finishes, Mardy Fish finally captured the American Century Championship title. Not only did Fish win the star-studded tournament, he actually set the course record at Edgewood Tahoe with a blistering 63 on Saturday. The previous course record of 64 was set in 1984 by Lee Trevino, a six-time PGA Tour major winner. Fish became the first tennis player to win in the event’s 31-year history. In these difficult times, the tennis world will take any win it can get.

Fish celebrated his win by jumping into the lake with fellow competitors Steph Curry, Dell Curry, and Canelo Alvarez.

The 38-year-old beat former Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams by nine points, and the rest of the field by a whopping 18. We caught up with a cautiously optimistic Fish on Wednesday and suggested that his 8/1 pre-tournament odds were worth a bet.

Some of the bigger names this weekend included Stephen Curry, Patrick Mahomes, Jerry Rice, Charles Barkley, Larry Fitzgerald, Tony Romo, Greg Maddux, Charles Barkley, and Oscar De La Hoya. James Blake finished tied with Maddux for 26th place.

“That's why I love these things, my world would never collide with people like Canelo Alvarez or Steph Curry,” Fish said. “I’d never cross paths with these guys in my day to day life, so it’s really cool.”

Three-time champion Mark Mulder finished in sixth place, while two-time defending champion Romo was forced to withdraw with a wrist injury after Saturday’s round.

“Tony and Mark are really, really good, and they certainly play a lot more than I do,” Fish said. Mark (Mulder) for instance is a legit +2 +3 handicap (meaning he basically shoots around even par almost every time he plays). And Tony is legitimately trying to play professionally. He actually shares a coach with Jordan Spieth.”

Fish’s golf swing is every bit as smooth as his two-handed backhand. He learned to golf left-handed at four years old, and primarily focused on golf and tennis his whole life.

Much like tennis, a good golf swing depends on balance, hand-eye coordination, and hip rotation. Though the two sports are different in many ways, the basic swing principles remain the same. You shouldn’t be surprised to hear that Jack Sock and Steve Johnson, both armed with bazookas for forehands, can hit the golf ball a mile. Chubbs Peterson said it best, “It’s all in the hips.”

After playing a quick nine holes with Fish, Jack Nicklaus—arguably the greatest golfer of all time—said this about the former ATP No. 7.

“He is the best non-professional golfer that I have ever seen play. I have never seen anybody with as nice a golf swing and as good a golf game that doesn’t play it professionally, or as a top amateur. I was flabbergasted how good Mardy was.”

Fish was throwing darts all weekend, and will no doubt be celebrating his elusive victory with his fellow sports stars tonight in Lake Tahoe.