While Charles Barkley’s golf game has often been the subject of ridicule, the basketball Hall of Famer had some sweet revenge during the first round of the American Century Championship.
On the par-4 second hole, Barkley eagled with an incredible shot from the fairway. Barkley’s shot — which was 88 yards from the hole — hit the back of the green before spinning back and falling into the bottom of the cup.
Barkley’s front-nine also included a birdie on the par-3 seventh hole. He finished his round T24 out of 90 participants.
“The crowd was going crazy. It was unbelievable. It’s been a great day,” Barkley told NBC Sports. “I’m having so much fun. I’ve been working so hard on my game. … I’m really happy with today. Extremely happy.”
Barkley, 62, entered the tournament with the longest odds to win at 7,500-1. His 58th-place finish at this event a year ago is a career-best.
Fellow hoops legend Stephen Curry had far better odds at winning the tournament. Curry, the 2023 champion, and two-time champ Marty Fish both had +240 odds to win this year’s event. Along with Barkley and Curry, the three-day event also includes participants Travis and Jason Kelce, current NFL quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen and Trevor Lawrence, Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice, Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz, former Cowboys quarterback and current NFL on CBS color analyst Tony Romo, and World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sörenstam.