No gambling
It didn't take long to acknowledge the elephant in the room. At the second hole, Rick Reilly is lining up for a 10-foot putt.

David Wells: "I'll bet you $10,000 you miss this."

Reilly: "Can we make it $10?"

At this point Barkley is trudging up the the fairway and finally reaches the hole.

Barkley: "Hey you two, you know that gambling is bad."

Barkley slaps himself on the wrist. "Very, very bad."

Barkley's self-imposed break from the gaming tables has been well documented. And by all accounts he hasn't been spotted cavorting with jacks and kings in the casinos here so far. But the week is young. Odds that Sir Charles will end up putting down a bet or two? Um, can't speculate. Gambling is bad.

True to form, Barkley started with a bang; sending his drive off the first tee into a bunker. He then whiffed badly on his first attempt to pitch out, and ended up picking up the ball on the green after seven strokes. The fairway attendant shook his head sadly. "It's an adventure," he muttered.

The pace is slow. Barkley's shots don't tend to travel far. This gives groups of fans a chance to gather and discuss his swing.

One man: "He's pulling his head as he swings ..."

Yeah, nice observation., pal. That's the least of his problems. Charles, however, is upbeat. After one putt stops 8 feet from the cup, he says, "Why didn't that go in?"

Charles tees off
"Ladies and gentlemen, Charles Barkley!"

He may not have the raw celebrity of Michael Jordan or the distinctive nose of Ray Romano, but the above introduction holds a special place in the hearts of American Century golf fans. What Bill Murray is to the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Barkley is to this venerable Lake Tahoe event. His roots in this tourney run deep, and to prove it, Barkley is kicking off the first day of this three-day event by planting a tree on the first hole.

It's to commemorate the firefighters and the folks who lost homes in the Angora Fire last summer, and serves as further proof that Barkley has a heart as big as the sprawling Edgewood Course where this event is played. Of course, once the actual golfing begins, don't be surprised if the new little tree is the first object Barkley hits with a drive. As a celebrity draw, Sir Charles is unparalleled; and as a basketball player he was of course formidable. As a golfer? Um ... Barkley is not good. How bad is he? Let's put it this way: I've never seen a tournament medical station actually set up for triage. Barkley's shots could end up anywhere; Hardhats are available for $19.95 at the NBC shop, and in addition, PETA has been notified. The organization spent last week removing wildlife from the vicinity, lest they be conked by whistling Top Flite missiles. (It was difficult, but the bears have been airlifted further back into the woods).

And in a bold experiment, I am live blogging Barkley's rounds this weekend. Well ... there will be reports every five or six rounds or so, That's live blogging, right? So come with me now on this great adventure, and witness last place in the making once again. The golf will be terrible, but the company will be fun. Barkley is playing with David Wells and Rick Reilly; a grouping of humans not usually found in nature.

If I don't return from this, tell the world my story.

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