Novak Djokovic is in the midst of a campaign for yet another Grand Slam title—this would be his 24th to be exact—but later this month, the tennis star will swap the racket for clubs as part of an international Ryder Cup celebrity competition. On Wednesday, September 27, a who’s who of golf celebs will make their way to Marco Simone to compete as a warm-up of sorts to the renowned global contest.
Djoker will be joined by celeb golf extraordinaire (and soccer great) Gareth Bale as well as fellow footballer Andriy Shevchenko, Marvel star Kathryn Newton, Super Bowl winner Victor Cruz, Formula One driver Carlos Sainz, Italian professional surfer Leonardo Fioravanti and one of the dudes from Dude Perfect for some reason.
Ryder Cup Europe
In years past, this matchup would be a clash between the U.S. and Europe stars, but they will be mixed together this go-around and captained by Ryder Cup royalty in Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin. The two went head-to-head at the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and will be playing in this year’s matches for a rematch of sorts.
Two recent winners of the G4D (golfers with a disability) Tour—Kipp Popert from England and Tomasso Perrino from Italy—will be teeing it up alongside the celebs as well.
“I can’t wait to tee it up in Rome and experience the incredible atmosphere of a Ryder Cup, which has become legendary,” Djokovic said. “The course looks like a fantastic test of golf and my playing partner Kipp, a seasoned pro, has won a lot on the G4D Tour recently so I’m confident we can get a point for the team. It’s going to be a great spectacle for the fans.”
“We have athletes proven at the highest level in Novak, Gareth, Leonardo and Kipp,” Montgomerie added. “And Garrett from Dude Perfect is a strong golfer who’ll be bringing some comedic light relief in the heat of battle.”
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
