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Derek Lowe made a career of being a solid starting pitcher as he helped the Boston Red Sox break the “Curse of the Bambino” during his playing career.
The right-handed pitcher was a two-time All-Star with the Red Sox before he eventually played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees and Texas Rangers. As he stepped off the field for the final time as a baseball player during the 2013 season, he would trade his mitt for a golf bag.
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Derek Lowe hits a tee shot during the ACC Golf Tournament at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe on Sunday, July 14, 2019. (Tom R. Smedes/Special to RGJ / USA TODAY NETWORK)
Lowe will be in the field for the American Century Championship next month at Edgewood Tahoe Result. It is an event he has circled on his calendar all year.
“This is No. 1, it really is,” he told Fox News Digital in terms of tournaments he has played over the year. “You kind of know roughly when the invitations are coming out, you start checking emails. … It’s hard to explain, we don’t have tournaments like this at all. You can play in your member-member, member-guest, what have you, but, I think again for the second or third year in a row it’s completely sold out.
“It’s just an amazing time. I don’t know if a lot of people have been out to Tahoe, but it’s just a tremendous place. (The) weather, normally every time, has been fantastic. You just never know who you are going to run into. You’re sitting at a table and who sits down, Matthew Tkachuk or whoever it is you just don’t know. That’s the beauty of it. You meet so many great people. So yeah, like I said, about three weeks away, and we can’t wait.”
Lowe finished in fifth place in last year’s tournament – behind Mardy Fish, Joe Pavelski, Annika Sorenstam and John Smoltz. He was seventh in 2023 and eighth in 2022.
The field will also have Stephen Curry back to defend his 2023 title after not getting a chance last year. The Golden State Warriors star was at the Paris Olympics playing for the U.S. men’s basketball team.
Derek Lowe, #32, won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox. (H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY)
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Lowe, even though he played in MLB for years, admitted he does get a little starstruck meeting some of the superstar athletes and celebrities in the field.
“There is no doubt about it. I remember a couple years ago, meeting Stephen Curry or Patrick Mahomes. You definitely do (get starstruck), there is no doubt about it,” he said. “You walk in a room and your like, ‘Oh.’ You try to act cool, calm, collected like you ‘re not in awe,
“But yeah, it really is. We are all sports fans. We all admire especially admire things I can’t do. So definitely, I can’t say there is one individual guy, but over the years there definitely people you come across, and it is pretty cool you get to meet them.”
The American Century Championship takes place from July 9-13.
The tournament will also raise money for local and national charities. The event is a 54-hole Stableford format in which golfers earn points for each hole based on the score to par. The golfer who achieves the most points wins.
Lowe, who is entering his 12th year in the tournament, said it’s his “favorite time of year.”
New York Yankees pitcher Derek Lowe, #34, pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. (John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports)
“The experience of golfing at the beautiful golf course that we play in Tahoe,” Lowe explained to Fox News Digital. “The fans are amazing; American Century puts on a great week-long event. I’ve gotten close a few times but not close enough to win. … It’s about a month away, you start playing a little bit more, practicing a little bit more, but everyone loves to go out there and compete but at the end of the day, it’s just, the pro-ams they put together are amazing.
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“It’s the greatest week for a lot of us for all year long.”
Fox News’ Connor McGahan contributed to this report.
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