SILVIS, Ill. - The latest celebrity sighting in the Quad-Cities has nothing to do with movies and everything to do with a proud father.

Oscar-winning director Ron Howard - whose "Angels & Demons" was No. 1 at the box office in U.S. theaters over the weekend - is in the Quad-Cities to watch his son, Reed, compete in the NAIA Men's National Golf Championships at the TPC Deere Run course in Silvis, Ill.

Reed Howard, 22, plays for the University of South Carolina-Beaufort Sand Sharks and shot a 77 Tuesday, according to St. Ambrose University golf coach Jeff Griebel, who had Fighting Bees player Danny Nelson partnered with Howard.

Griebel said he spoke with the elder Howard for a few moments, unaware it was the actor-turned-director.

"I think he's trying to stay low-key," Griebel said of Howard, who gained early fame as Opie on TV's "Andy Griffith Show" and in movies such as "American Graffiti" before becoming a highly successful filmmaker.

Howard was spotted Monday night at the Red Crow Grille in Bettendorf, where he ate a ribeye steak, signed an autograph for a waitress and complimented the chef on the meal, according to a restaurant employee.

Doug Miller of Davenport, a consultant for the Quad-Cities Film Coalition, said he hoped Howard would keep a professional eye on the area as well.

"You never know what movies he might have in his portfolio," added Miller, noting filmmaker tax incentives of up to 50 percent. "We'd sure be happy to have him come back to work."

Griebel said Howard's presence brought a little more attention to the tournament.

"It isn't often we get a star sighting on the golf course," he said.