Wisconsin hockey legend Joe Pavelski won the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament on Sunday afternoon. His eagle on the final hole clinched a nine-point victory over second-place finisher, Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz.
Pavelski shot 70 (-2), 72 (E), 68 (-4) to clinch the victory. The event uses a modified Stableford scoring system, with 10 points awarded to an Albatross, eight to a hole-in-one, six to an eagle, three to a birdie, one to a par, zero to a bogey and minus-two to a double bogey or worse. Pavelski recorded one eagle, 12 birdies and 35 pars during the three-day event, plus carded only four bogeys and two double-bogeys. He finished the event with 73 total points, earning first-place finish that is worth $150,000 (20% of the total $750,000 purse).
The former Badger and 18-year NHL veteran hung up his skates last summer after the 2024 season. Along with Sunday’s triumph, Pavelski also won the celebrity division of an LPGA golf tournament back in February. It’s safe to say he’s beginning an impressive second act of his athletic career.
Pavelski entered the Wisconsin record books nearly 20 years ago, when he led the Badgers to the 2006 national title as their top point-scorer. His two-year Wisconsin career included 84 games and 101 total points (39 goals, 62 assists). He was also a Second-Team All-American in 2006, following that national title run.
The forward went on to play 18 NHL seasons, 13 for the San Jose Sharks and five for the Dallas Stars. Those seasons included 1,332 career games and 1,068 points (476 goals, 592 assists). He concluded his career as the league’s all-time leader in postseason games (201) without a Stanley Cup title.
While his team could never cross the finish line in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Pavelski is already doing so on the golf course.
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