From Champions League Winners to Grand Slam Champions, the teams for the upcoming Ryder Cup all-star match have been revealed, and they’re set to feature some of the greatest athletes of all time.
The Ryder Cup is one of golf’s greatest competitions; representatives from Team Europe and Team USA tee off in this storied biennial tournament, all vying for a place in history and to get their hands on the coveted trophy.
The honour of hosting the tournament is shared between prestigious golf courses across Europe and America, with the location alternating with each edition. This year, the Ryder Cup travels to the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Italy’s capital city, Rome, for the first time in its history.
But it’s not just the professionals who enjoy the rub of the green, as before each tournament, an all-star celebrity edition is played between some of the biggest names in the world of sport, music and cinema… and this year, both teams are stacked with talent.
Captained by Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin, the 2010 Ryder Cup captains, the two teams will feature four celebrity golfers to tee off in a Ryder Cup-style tournament just two days before the main competition begins on the same course.
This year, Novak Djokovic, the most decorated player in tennis history, will be joining Team Monty mere weeks after competing at the 2023 US Open.
The 23-time Grand Slam Champion will be joined by former Real Madrid and Tottenham forward Gareth Bale, who turned semi-pro following his retirement from football in 2023, alongside Italian surfer Leonardo Fioravanti, YouTuber Garrett Hilbert, and Kipp Popert, the former world number one disabled golfer.
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Coming up against them in Team Corey’s ranks will be former AC Milan forward Andriy Shevchenko alongside Spanish driver Carlos Sainz, who races for Scuderia Ferrari in Formula 1, Italy’s leading golfer with a disability, Tommaso Perrino, former NFL star Victor Cruz and actor Kathryn Newton.
“The Ryder Cup is a special event, having experienced the incredible atmosphere at Europe’s win in 2010, I can’t wait to experience some of that magic again in Rome in a few weeks’ time,” Gareth Bale said ahead of the tournament.
“The All-Star Match, under the captaincy of Colin Montgomerie, will be an amazing experience and I’m really looking forward to teeing it up with some great people. It’s sure to be a top event and one the fans will really enjoy.”
In recent years, golf has emerged as the favourite pastime for many athletes across the globe, with more and more opting to take up the club in their spare time as a way to decompress and escape the busy demands of the sporting calendar.
This year’s Ryder Cup all-star match will tee off on September 27 2023 and will be streamed across Ryder Cup socials.