STATELINE - Even when Rick Rhoden plays one of his worst celebrity rounds ever, the other stars can't beat him.
The former Los Angeles Dodgers' pitcher shot a 2-over 74 to win his eighth American Century Championship by three points Sunday at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.
Rhoden joined Dan Quinn as the only repeat champions in the 20-year history of the event.
"That was the worst round of golf I've played in two months," said Rhoden, who fired a round of 76 when he won in 2003 and 1991. "I played bad pretty much the whole day. I couldn't believe coming in that I still had the lead because of the way I was playing."
Rhoden's final round of 18 points isn't his worst to date in the modified Stableford scoring system. He scored 15 points in the format's first year in 2003.
Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo finished second with 71 points. Romo missed a short birdie putt on No. 17 that would have forced a playoff.
Quinn, who trailed by just a point on the final tee, double-bogeyed the 18th hole and finished in at third-place tie with Billy Joe Tolliver at 70 points.
"If I make birdie, it's mine," Quinn said.
Quinn and Rhoden each drove into the left rough off the 18th tee. Both players knocked their second shots into wedge position short of Lake Laimbeer. After the 56-year-old Rhoden hit his approach safely onto the green, Quinn made a rare mistake with his 60-degree wedge. He came over the top of the shot, sending the ball into the pond on the bounce. The wet ball sealed Rhoden's latest championship and the $125,000 first prize.
"I just tried to get cute on the last one. I tried to keep it under the hole and have an 8-10-footer up the hill. I just pulled it a hair," Quinn said. "To figure out why I came over the top of a couple shots coming in, I don't know, I just did it."
Rhoden two-putted for par and a final Stableford score of 74.
Quinn dropped out of second place when he three-putted from 20 feet for a double-bogey.
While Rhoden struggled to make pars and birdies, Quinn was making the most gallery noise with his play. Quinn birdied 11 and 12 - his third and fourth of the day - to move within two points of Rhoden.
"I thought I was in the driver's seat," said Quinn, who looked back to bogeys he made on No. 14 and No. 15 - the latter one following a tee ball in the middle of the fairway - as the unraveling of his championship bid.
Despite the bogeys, Quinn made one final charge. Rhoden, nursing a four-point lead over Quinn, hit two long and precise shots into the par-5 16th green, leaving a short pitch to the hole. But he overcooked his chip, leaving a tricky six-foot birdie putt.
Meanwhile, Quinn was forced to pitch out to the fairway on his second stroke after his tee ball went too far left. His approach to the green left him with a 20-foot downhill putt, which he rolled in, while Rhoden pulled his short birdie putt and settled for par. The huge swing left Quinn only two points behind instead of six with two holes to play.
"Danny made a great putt there," Rhoden said. "I knew coming in that Danny was going to be the toughest competition for me."
Quinn nearly took the lead on the 17th hole as his 40-putt birdie putt was tracking to hole before stopping just shy of the cup. Rhoden the missed a short putt for par, reducing his lead over Quinn to a single point. By then, Rhoden was trying to overcome a bout of nervousness that he hadn't experienced in prior championships.
"When you get under pressure, you get a little anxious and you move a little quicker," he said. "I was really surprised the way I felt near the end because I've been in the last group 15 times here. Last year I was very calm coming in, and I was behind. I just didn't feel comfortable over the ball.
"Sometimes in golf more than other sports, the harder you try, the harder it gets."
Tolliver, a two-time champion, made up some ground on the front nine, scoring 17 points, but he never got close enough at the end to become a factor. He parred 16 and bogeyed 17 to come up short.
"Guys just didn't play as well as they normally play down the stretch," Tolliver said. "Rhoden didn't make as many birdies as he normally does. 'Quinny' let two guys back in it."
A record 37,205 spectators turned out for the six-day event, shattering last year's mark of 31,220. Contributing to the record total were the record-breaking 10,500 fans who passed through the front gate on Saturday.
Former San Francisco 49ers' all-pro receiver Jerry Rice enjoyed his best finish in 13 appearances with a 10th-place result. Michael Jordan, one of the NBA all-time greats, delivered his second-best finish ever, as claimed 17th out of 90 participants.
Charles Barkley was overtaken by Kevin Nealon and Chuck Liddell on the final day. Barkley finished last with -97 points, three less than Liddell, the mixed martial arts fighter.
NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor equaled the low round of the day, shooting a 3-under 69, vaulting the former Giants' star into a 13th-place tie.