Phillies: Three 2008 champions reunite in golf competition
By Matt Rappa
Three former Phillies, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Shane Victorino, are teammates once again
For parts of eight seasons, from 2005 to 2012, Philadelphia Phillies star players Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Shane Victorino teamed up on the baseball diamond.
Now, the 2008 World Series champion trio is back together as a team, this time on the golf course, as part of the celebrity-filled American Century Championship, from July 10-12, on the shores of Lake Tahoe. The charity tournament is benefiting COVID-19 relief and area non-profits.
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Among the three, Utley fared the best in the first round on Friday, finishing tied for 31st place while going 10 over par. Victorino followed tied for 40th place, 15 over par; Rollins, meanwhile, tied for 47th place, 17 over par.
Jimmy Rollins – Round 1 (T47)
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | OUT | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | IN | TOT |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
| Rnd 1 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 46 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 43 | 89 |
| Points | 0 | 0 | -2 | -4 | -3 | -2 | -4 | -4 | -4 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -2 | -2 | -4 | -4 | -4 | -3 | -3 |
Chase Utley – Round 1 (T31)
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | OUT | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | IN | TOT |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
| Rnd 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 43 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 39 | 82 |
| Points | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
Shane Victorino – Round 1 (T40)
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | OUT | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | IN | TOT |
| Par | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
| Rnd 1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 46 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 41 | 87 |
| Points | 0 | -2 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -3 | -3 | -3 | -2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
The annual tournament, now in its 31st year, features 80 sports and entertainment stars competing for charity. Among those stars, in addition to the three former Phillies, include Stephen Curry, Aaron Rodgers, Charles Barkley and two-time defending champion Tony Romo.
After the first round, Barkley has the second-worst showing so far, going 32 over par.
The competition uses a 54-hole modified Stableford format.
https://twitter.com/ShaneVictorino/status/1281639944956473344
Victorino and Utley spoke to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark following the first day of action and commented on the current state of the game amid the pandemic.
The Flyin’ Hawaiian said if he won a World Series this season, it would be hard for someone to tell him that he cannot jump on a pile and hug his friends for “winning something that is a childhood dream.”
Victorino said that hopefully, come this year’s Fall Classic, it all changes and players will be allowed to “interact a little more,” adding, “we had 40-plus thousand [fans] every single night. I fed off the adrenaline of the fans.”
Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino back together for Celebrity golf this weekend
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) July 10, 2020
Chase is a righty ⛳️
“I can’t explain it. I don’t know why. I’ve tried lefthanded. It’s not pretty. Not that righthanded is that much prettier”
Hear from Chase & Shane NBC10 620pm pic.twitter.com/If8OmlqTwO
Utley agreed that having no fans in the stands, at least at the start of the 60-game sprint, will be a different atmosphere that the players will have to adjust to.
“It is going to be different. I hear some teams are putting in fake crowd noise, which may be helpful,” the former Phillies second baseman said, adding he does not think the protocols would have affected him much. “I would imagine it is going to take a few weeks to adjust to having nobody in the stands.”
“Once you’re on the field, you’re going to play baseball. I imagine nothing is going to change in that aspect”
It is great to see Rollins, Utley, and Victorino back together once again, albeit on the golf course. This year’s Phillies team, under manager Joe Girardi, is looking to get back to the postseason for the first time since those three players helped the franchise do so in 2011.