South Lake Tahoe, NV – Former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien racked up 27 points Saturday to surge into the lead after two rounds of the American Century Championship.
Rypien finished two days with 43 points under the modified Stableford scoring system and leads former NHL player Dan Quinn by three heading into the final round of the celebrity golf tournament.
Quinn had 20 points for the second day in a row while former MLB pitcher Mark Mulder, who shared the first-round lead with defending champion Jack Wagner, fell to third place with 38 points after getting 16 on Saturday.
Rypien, who shot the equivalent of a 1-under 71 for his round, hasn't placed higher than third since winning the inaugural Tahoe event in 1990.
"I've been chasing it for 22 years," he said. "I don't know what the heck the lead looks like. I'm not a spring chicken anymore. I hit the big 5-0 this October, so it's nice to be competitive and back with a chance to win."
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (17), former Broncos QB and current executive John Elway (21) and former MLB pitcher John Smoltz (22) shared fourth place at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course with 37 points apiece.
Wagner, the actor who has played every tournament since its inception, had 14 points in the second round and stood seventh with 36 overall.
The modified Stableford system awards graduated points for a score of par or better but also deducts points for bad scores.
NBA great Charles Barkley was dead last in the 82-player field with negative 62 points -- 11 behind former MLB slugger Gary Sheffield and 16 back of model and actress Angie Everhart.
(Steve Griffith contributed to this story from Stateline, Nev.)
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