In addition to the new edition of The Match, a new and very special tournament series is about to start: The Icons Series. Led by Fred Couples and Ernie Els, two teams of true sports legends will compete in match play over 10 holes. The first event will be held from June 30 to July 1 at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey.
Icons Series with “Mount Rushmore of the World’s Greatest Athletes”
And the line-up of the unique spectacle is already impressive. A “Mount Rushmore of the world’s best athletes,” is what Icons Series CEO, Thomas Brookes, calls it. Twenty-four sports icons will compete in two teams, one for the U.S. under captain Fred Couples, while Ernie Els leads the team with the rest of the world. While some team members are still waiting to be revealed to the public, the four players per team already announced show the class of athletes we will be dealing with in this series.
Competing for Team USA:
- Michael Phelps – The most successful Olympic athlete of all time with 28 swimming medals, including 23 golf medals.
- Michael Strahan – Hall of Fame professional football player, two-time Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants
- Oscar De La Hoya – boxing legend with 11 world titles from six weight classes
- Ben Roethlisberger – two-time Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Competing for Team Rest of the World (also abbreviated ROTW):
- Canelo Alvarez – King of pound for pound boxing who won world titles in four different weight classes
- Ash Barty – The former world No. 1 tennis player and three-time Grand Slam winner, including the Australian Open in 2022
- Pep Guardiola – One of the most successful soccer coaches of all time, winning 2 Champions League titles as well as multiple Spanish and English league championships
- Harry Kane – The dynamic captain of the English national team and three-time winner of the Golden Shoe award
For special sensation causes the participation of Ash Barty, who declared last month mi only 25 years, that she retires from tennis. However, she still swings the golf club diligently and won a golf tournament in Brisbane shortly after this announcement.
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Barty expressed pride in her latest sporting venture: “I’m excited to be part of the Icons Series and I hope through my participation in the series that we can encourage more women and girls to participate in golf around the world,” she said. “The series is also a great opportunity for athletes to have an impact on local community and charity projects in each of the host destinations.”
“It’s such a unique opportunity to have fun, test yourself and compete against the world’s greatest athletes in a sport that we are all so passionate about. I can’t wait to experience Liberty National and learn from our iconic captain, Ernie Els.”
Liberty National Golf Club was designed by US Open Champion Tom Kite and golf course designer Bob Cupp. It hosted the 2017 Presidents Cup, as well as the Northern Trust as the first of the PGA Tour FedExCup Playoff tournaments. Additional destinations in the worldwide series are planned in Australia, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.