Harry Kane and Pep Guardiola are among the stars from across the world of sport who have signed up to take part in a new celebrity golf competition in America this summer.
The ‘Icons Series’ event will take place at Liberty National in New Jersey between June 30-July 1, pitting some of the biggest global sports names against each other in a Ryder Cup-style USA vs the Rest of the World match-play tournament.
Tottenham and England star Kane, who last weekend hotfooted it over to Augusta National for the final day of the Masters following Spurs’ 4-0 Premier League win over Aston Villa, is among the initial sign-ups to the world team, along with Manchester City boss and fellow golf fanatic Pep Guardiola.
That duo are joined by boxing’s pound-for-pound king Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and three-time Grand Slam and multi-talented former long-reigning women’s world No1 Ash Barty, whose presence will only serve to increase speculation that she wants to purse a professional golf career after announcing a shock retirement from tennis aged 25 last month.
24 sporting icons. 2 teams. USA vs ROTW. Every shot counts. Edge-of-the-seat team matchplay from the first drive. The planet’s most iconic names in a celebration of sport. An event without parallel. This is Icons Series. #IconsSeries pic.twitter.com/T32Y1q1pF4
— Icons Series (@IconsSeries) April 19, 2022
The Rest of the World will be captained by four-time major winner and former golf world No1 Ernie Els, with the rest of their star-studded team to be named in due course.
The USA, meanwhile, are led by 1992 Masters champion and Els’ fellow World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Fred Couples.
Confirmed for the American team so far are the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all-time, Michael Phelps, plus former 11-time, six-weight world boxing champion turned promoter Oscar De La Hoya.
Also competing for the US will be recently retired Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback ‘Big Ben’ Roethlisberger and ex-NFL star turned TV personality and host Michael Strahan.
Both teams will eventually be made up of 14 players each, with further announcements to come over the coming weeks.
“We’re thrilled to launch the Icons Series in America with a Mount Rushmore of the world’s best athletes, all incredible golfers and fierce competitors,” said Icons Series CEO, Thomas Brookes.
“There’s no better global stage than Liberty National and that stage is now set to welcome the most iconic athletes of all time for what will be an incredible spectacle.”
