Tahoe celeb golf nets $167,000 for area charities

STATELINE, Nev. (AP) - Tourism officials and charity sponsors helped raise more than $167,000 for local nonprofit groups and area hospitals during the 2009 American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe.

The Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and Livestrong, the Lance Armstrong Foundation, distributed the final $77,000 last week to 14 area non-profits.

"The generosity to our community from LiveStrong, NBC Sports and American Century Investments is overwhelming," said Carol Chaplin, executive director of the LTVA. "Our 20-year partnership has resulted in South Shore's largest special event and with it a great deal of media attention, business and assistance to the local community with financial support. Everyone wins."

About $28,000 was distributed among several cancer support programs, including Barton Hospital's mammogram screening, Relay for Life, Barton Community Clinic's pap smear program and the Cancer League.

The $49,000 balance was distributed among Court Appointed Special Advocates, South Lake Tahoe Women's Center, Family Resource Center, Tahoe Arts Project, Christmas Cheer, South Tahoe and Whittell high schools and the Lake Tahoe and Douglas County education foundations.

Tahoe Youth and Family Services, Bread & Broth and The Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe earlier split $90,000 in contributions from last year.

Armstrong's foundation was the tourney's official charity for the fourth consecutive year.

Now in its 21st year, the American Century Championship is network television's longest running celebrity golf tournament drawing sports and entertainment stars including Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Tony Romo, Ray Romano, Mario Lemieux, Dale Jarrett, Dan Marino, John Elway and Jerry Rice.

This year's tournament is July 16-18 at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.