Los Angeles Rams

2-time defending champ Mulder leads celebrity golf event

Published Oct. 4, 2017 1:46 p.m. ET

STATELINE, Nev. (AP) Two-time defending champion Mark Mulder took a three-point lead Saturday in the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe.

The former major league pitcher shot a 3-under 69 - the first sub-70 round of the tournament - and had 48 points after two rounds in the modified Stableford event. Players get 10 points for double eagle, 8 for a hole-in-one, 6 for eagle, 3 for birdie, 1 for par, 0 for bogey and minus-2 for double bogey or higher.

''The last two years I was down five points both years going into that final round, so this is a little different,'' Mulder said. ''I'm going to go out there, try to make as many birdies as I possibly can and see what happens. That's just the way I play. I'm just focusing from shot to shot. And if I hit a bad shot, I go find it and hit again.''

Fellow former pitcher Derek Lowe and former tennis player Mardy Fish were tied for second. Lowe, the first-round leader, was penalized for an illegal drop on No. 14 after hitting into a hazard. The mistake cost him two strokes and two points.

Chad Pfeifer, an Army veteran who lost his left leg during battle in Iraq, was fourth at 42, followed by former pitcher John Smoltz at 41 and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, San Jose Sharks center Joe Pavelski and former NFL running back Marshall Faulk at 38.

Blair O'Neal topped the four women in the field at 37. The model and Golf Channel host played from the same tees as the men.

NBA star Stephen Curry was tied for 13th with 32 points.

Charles Barkley was last in the 89-player field at minus-57 - a point behind Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff.