Ex-Yankees star David Wells recalls Charles Barkley prank as he readies for American Century Championship

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New York Yankees great David Wells will be one of the more than 80 competitors who will compete in the summer’s most prestigious celebrity golf tournament next month – the American Century Championship.

It’s the 35th time the event will take place. Golfers will begin practice at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe on the border of California and Nevada on July 10. The 54-hole tournament runs through July 14.

Wells said it is his 17th appearance at the event.

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Former Major League Baseball pitcher David Wells warms at the ACC Golf Championship presented by American Century Investments on July 7, 2022, at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada. (David Calvert/Getty Images for American Century Investments)

"I wait all year for that event," he told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "That event is pretty special. To go up there in Tahoe, you just cross your fingers every year hoping that you get invited back, so that’s a good thing."

Wells said he also enjoys the charity aspect of the tournament. The event has raised nearly $8 million for several nonprofits. The Stowers Institute for Medical Research is the tournament’s official charity. It was founded by James E. Stowers Jr., who is also the founder of American Century Investments.

And while the sun, the lake and the golf are all well and good, the competition is fierce.

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry won the event last year. Tony Romo, Vinny Del Negro, Mardy Fish, Mark Mulder and Mark Lemieux are among the other former champions as well.

Wells got a taste of Charles Barkley’s competitiveness when he