NHL Star Matt Boldy Steals the Show With Wild 'Happy Gilmore' Chip From the Grandstands
STATELINE, NV - JULY 10: Matt Boldy watches his tee shot on the 18th hole during the first round of the American Century Championship on July 10, 2026 at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Tahoe, NV. Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire GOLF: JUL 10 American Century Championship EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2607100691
STATELINE, NV - JULY 10: Matt Boldy watches his tee shot on the 18th hole during the first round of the American Century Championship on July 10, 2026 at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Tahoe, NV. Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire GOLF: JUL 10 American Century Championship EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2607100691
Matt Boldy turned one wild golf mess into one of the best moments of the American Century Championship 2026 on Saturday at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.
Playing alongside his U.S. Olympic hockey teammates Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, the Minnesota Wild forward found his ball deep in the grandstands during Saturday's second round.
Rather than take a drop and play it safe, the 25-year-old decided to hit it exactly where it landed.
NHL.com's Dan O'Leary summed up the moment: "The Minnesota Wild forward found himself in a situation that looked like it would have been more out of 'Happy Gilmore' or 'Tin Cup' than the American Century Championship."
STATELINE, NV - JULY 10: Matt Boldy tees off on the 18th hole during the first round of the American Century Championship on July 10, 2026 at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Tahoe, NV. Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire GOLF: JUL 10 American Century Championship EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2607100681
STATELINE, NV - JULY 10: Matt Boldy tees off on the 18th hole during the first round of the American Century Championship on July 10, 2026 at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Tahoe, NV. Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire GOLF: JUL 10 American Century Championship EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon2607100681
The decision proved worthy as the ball cleared the railing, bounced onto the green (almost for a blind chip-in), and drew a loud reaction from the crowd, with fans jumping in to celebrate and give Boldy high-fives.
That grandstand chip was the cherry on top of a wonderful week for Boldy. Earlier in the tournament, he shocked everyone by using his 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic gold medal as a ball marker.
The NBC Sports broadcast team loved the moment just as much as the fans did.
By the time Round 2 wrapped Saturday, Boldy sat tied for 13th place with actor Alfonso Ribeiro at 27 points under the tournament's modified Stableford scoring system.
The only NHL player ahead of him on the leaderboard was Joe Pavelski, the tournament's defending champion, who was sitting second overall with 48 points.
Where the Leaderboard Stands Entering the Final Round
Pavelski's 48 points had him trailing only one man: former tennis pro Mardy Fish. Fish is a two-time champion of the event (2020 and 2024) and carried a 52-point lead into Sunday's final round.
Annika Sorenstam sat in third position after two rounds.
Boldy’s hockey friends are hanging around too. Matthew Tkachuk is tied for 22nd with Pro Football Hall of Famers Drew Brees and Brian Urlacher at 22 points. Retired player T.J. Oshie is tied for 25th at 20 points.
Brady Tkachuk is tied for 55th with NFL's Charles Woodson at minus-7, and NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, who's an NHL superfan, sits at minus-20 in a field of 90 players.
Players earn six points for an eagle, three for a birdie, and one for par; a bogey is worth nothing, but they lose two points for anything worse than a double bogey, in ACC's modified Stableford format.
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Written by
Md Saife Fida
Edited by
Koushik Biswas