American Century Championship adds accuracy challenge for medical research donations

By AI, Created 11:26 PM UTC, June 01, 2026, /AGP/ – The American Century Championship will debut Bullseye Bucks at Edgewood Tahoe during July 8-9 practice rounds, turning tee shots into donations for the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. The tech-driven challenge ties golf accuracy, fan content and charity together as the tournament heads into its 2026 event week.

Why it matters: - Bullseye Bucks adds a new charity-driven competition to one of golf’s most visible celebrity events. - The format links player performance directly to medical research funding at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. - The challenge also gives the tournament a fresh content and fan-engagement hook ahead of the televised event.

What happened: - The American Century Championship said Bullseye Bucks will debut at the 14th hole at Edgewood Tahoe during practice rounds on Wednesday, July 8, and Thursday, July 9, 2026. - The contest will use a fully immersive, tech-enabled scoring setup on the fairway. - American Century Investments said the challenge will raise money for the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, the tournament’s official national charity and primary beneficiary. - The winner of the tournament will receive a custom-made lab coat, a new award meant to nod to the Stowers Institute’s scientific work.

The details: - Bullseye Bucks uses Toptracer technology and computer-vision-based augmented-reality overlays. - Shots landing in scoring zones will be worth $100 to $500. - Shots hitting the central bullseyes will be worth $1,000. - American Century will donate up to $25,000 to the Stowers Institute through the contest. - A live leaderboard will track each team’s total raised in real time. - The teams that raise the most money on each practice day will receive $5,000 for their charity of choice. - Each participating player will receive a personalized Toptracer video with shot data and visual overlays. - The American Century Championship said the new lab coat prize also ties to TV spots airing during the tournament featuring American Century investors in lab coats. - The tournament has raised more than $8 million for charitable causes. - American Century Investments directs 40% of its dividends each year to the Stowers Institute. - Since 2000, American Century has directed more than $2 billion in dividends to biomedical research at the Stowers Institute.

Between the lines: - The Bullseye Bucks format turns charity into a live scoreboard, which may make the fundraising feel more like competition than a side effort. - The lab coat award extends the tournament’s branding around science and research, not just golf. - The Toptracer video assets give players and the tournament shareable content that could broaden attention beyond the course. - Rick Luchinsky said the company sees the challenge as a way to turn strong play into charitable impact and to highlight how investor success can support life-changing research.

What’s next: - The Bullseye Bucks challenge will run during the tournament’s July 8-9 practice rounds. - The American Century Championship will be streamed live on Peacock and NBCSN on July 10, and on NBC and Peacock on July 11-12. - Fans can join the action through the American Century Championship Fantasy Golf contest until July 9 at midnight PDT. - Tournament information is available at the official event site. - Fans can also follow the tournament on Instagram.