The greatest Olympic champion of all-time is returning to the competitive playing field.
Michael Phelps, the owner of a record 23 gold and 28 total Olympic medals, is among eight sports stars confirmed to compete in the debut event of the Icons Series, a new concept in sport and entertainment that aims to bring bonafide global icons together for team match-play format events.
Icon Series’ first event will be a Ryder Cup-style golf tournament, featuring Team USA taking on Team Rest of the World in a 10-hole match-play format.
Phelps, a longtime passionate golfer who was featured on the golf television show The Haney Project during his initial retirement from swimming after the 2012 Olympics, will compete on Team USA alongside pro football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan, multi-time boxing world champion Oscar De La Hoya and two-time Super Bowl Champion Ben Roethlisberger.
Phelps is always known for having holed the longest putt in televised golf history.
Team USA will be captained by golfing legend Fred Couples, who was the 1992 Masters champion, while four-time major winner Ernie Els will lead the ‘Rest of the World’ squad.
Els’ team will feature the top-ranked pound-for-pound boxer in the world Canelo Alvarez, Aussie tennis player Ash Barty, soccer manager Pep Guardiola and English soccer star Harry Kane.
Team USA
- Fred Couples (Captain) – World Golf Hall of Famer, former World No. 1 and Masters champion
- Michael Phelps – Most decorated Olympian of all-time with 28 total swimming medals, including 23 gold
- Michael Strahan – Pro Football Hall of Famer and Super Bowl champion with New York Giants
- Oscar De La Hoya – Boxing legend who held 11 world titles across six weight classes
- Ben Roethlisberger – Two-time Super Bowl champion with Pittsburgh Steelers
Team Rest of the World
- Ernie Els (Captain) – World Golf Hall of Famer, former World No. 1 and four-time major championship winner
- Canelo Alvarez – Boxing’s pound-for-pound king who has won world titles in four different weight classes
- Ash Barty – Former World No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam winner, including 2022 Australian Open
- Pep Guardiola – One of the most successful soccer managers ever, winning two Champions League titles and multiple Spanish and English league crowns
- Harry Kane – Dynamic England National Team captain and three-time Golden Boot winner
The event will be held at Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, NJ., June 30-July 1. It will be broadcast live exclusively on Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service.
“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.”
Both teams are expected to announce additional names to their roster in the coming weeks. The Icons Series website shows eight remaining slots available for each team, which would bring the rosters up to 12 apiece (matching the traditional Ryder Cup format).
“I love match-play golf and I’m looking forward to leading Team USA at Liberty National in June,” said Couples. “The pedigree of the athletes in my team speaks for itself and what could be better than to win at the place of our Presidents Cup victory in 2017. It promises to be a phenomenal tournament and we’re excited to compete against Ernie’s team of international icons.”
We also recently saw Phelps compete in a pickleball match against NFL star Larry Fitzgerald.
Phelps, who will turn 37 during the Icons Series event, most recently competed competitively in the pool at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, winning five gold medals and one silver in what was his fifth Olympic appearance.
For those who don’t know, Ash Barty played cricket for a pro team a few years ago (when she was on a tennis sabbatical) and was very very good. She also plays golf off a three handicap I think. Oh….. she was also the world’s number one tennis player for 2 years.
It’s amazing what people watch.
I think Phelps is good enough to make the PGA tour. Golf is a very easy sport. Swimming much harder
“i ThInK tOm BrAdY cOuLd WiN a OlYmPiC mEdAl In SwImMiNg”
Isn’t Tony Romo a PGA golfer now?
Forget about PGA Tour. The LPGA Tour level of play is light years beyond anything the typical amateur can comprehend. Perhaps the greatest disconnect in sports is how golf is viewed by the Average Joe compared to how other athletes view golf. They are in absolute awe of the top golfers because they play pro ams and see the surreal caliber of play. Those athletes have succeeded at everything they’ve attempted but comparatively fail miserably at golf. So many things can go wrong when trying to square that club at impact.