The modern world faces many challenges. Compared to the issues in the many other conflict zones around the world, plus the ever-present threat of terrorism, the impending climate catastrophe and the massive upheaval AI might bring, the issues faced in the world of sport seem almost irrelevant. Nonetheless, with attention spans shorter than ever, all sports face the same battle to attract and keep new fans.
More traditional (and generally slower) sports such as cricket, snooker and golf have introduced changes to try to stay competitive in the race to capture eyeballs. But even football has not proved immune to these factors. Indeed, competition from shorter-format events and entertainment genres was one of the reasons given for the proposed creation of a European Super League in football.
Returning to golf, and thankfully now fully leaving the doom and gloom of war and pestilence and Armageddon behind us, LIV’s shorter tournaments and quasi-team aspect are the obvious and most high-profile way in which golf has sought to appeal to a younger crowd. But one series of events that has also been created with that in mind – as well, no doubt, as being a bit of a jolly for former sports stars – is the Icons Series.
This may not be on the radar of too many fans of golf or other sports but it could prove an interesting watch. Moreover, coming at a time in the golf calendar just before things start hotting up, it is well scheduled to provide some interesting action right at the start of spring.
Icons of Football
The Reignwood Icons of Football tournament will take place in Thailand on the 1st and 2nd of March 2025. In the simplest of terms, it is the Ryder Cup for former footballers! It will feature an English Team and a World Team, the former captained by Lee Westwood and the latter by Sergio Garcia.
Reignwood are the sponsors and the event will be played at Bangkok’s Robinswood Golf Course. There will be four main sessions of play, beginning with fourballs on Saturday morning before an alternate shot format in the afternoon. Sunday morning will see more alternate shot, before the singles rounds things off on Sunday afternoon.
The sponsors have done well to assemble a top-class line-up and this is not like some reality TV show with a collection of “celebrities” most people have never heard of. There are some big-name ex-footballers on both sides, with the two teams below:
| Team England | Team World |
|---|---|
| Jimmy Bullard | Hamit Altintop |
| Robbie Fowler | Gabriel Batistuta |
| Joe Hart | Patrik Berger |
| Paul Ince | Ronald de Boer |
| Phil Jagielka | Nigel de Jong |
| Jermain Jenas | Luis Figo |
| Phil Jones | Diego Forlan |
| Paul Scholes | David Ginola |
| Lee Sharpe | Ruud Gullit |
| Teddy Sheringham | Carlos Tevez |
| John Terry | Nemanja Vidic |
| Theo Walcott | Gianfranco Zola |
All 12 Team England golfers have played for the Three Lions and indeed there are former England captains set to be teeing it up. Quite how good their golf is remains to be seen, though Terry is one of a number who play off single-figure handicaps. Bullard did get down to scratch at one stage and even entered some EuroPro Tour events, so he is sure to be one to look out for.
The World Team is not short of a star or two and also boasts a wealth of international caps, goals and former captains. Altintop may not be a name known to all fans but the Turkish midfielder won the 2010 Puskas Award and played 82 times for his country. In terms of golfing ability, Batistuta may be the best of the bunch, playing off a very low handicap, though Zola, Ginola and Gullit are not too far behind the Argentine hitman.
How can I Watch Icons?
This event may have the sound and feel of one which would only be available to view via some obscure channel or stream but it is, in fact, going to be televised in the UK on Sky Sports Golf. It should be fun and fast and we can expect plenty of banter from the players in an event which will not quite have the same fierce rivalry as the Ryder Cup.
Of course, these being former professional footballers, there will be a lot of competitive spirit out on the course. But it should be tempered with plenty of light-hearted moments that will provide entertainment aplenty to viewers.
In the unlikely event you happen to be in Thailand at the moment, there are tickets available to watch the action live. These start at around £15 for the day and less than half that for the whole weekend, so are great value. If you aren’t on a backpacker budget you may want to stay out of the heat and humidity and do things in a little more style, in which case how about a hospitality package, available from £350. In case you were wondering, this isn’t a sales pitch, we just wish we were there to take advantage of that pricing and the warm weather!
Format
As said, there is a mix of golf set to be played but the most unusual thing about this tournament, being held for the first time in 2025, is that matches are played over just 10 holes. That won’t leave much room for slow starts so players need to be at it from the first hole.
Unlike similar team events, all players will feature in every session, with three sessions of pairs play and then 12 singles matches to conclude. It should be noted that captains are non-playing, so all the golf will be played by the footballers.
There are some quirks to the scoring, with the 10th and final hole worth two points, whereas the others are worth just one. In addition, each team has a designated “home” hole (England’s is the fifth, the World Team’s is the eighth) and if the away side wins that one, again, double points are on offer. It should also be noted that the alternate shot sessions are played under greensomes rules, meaning all four players drive before each team chooses their preferred shot, playing alternate shots from there.
Further fun is added through the “Crocs” and “Camels” penalties awarded to the players who find water and sand most often. But the most interesting moments of all might come via the “Call the Captain”. Westy and Sergio can play one shot per session for their team and how this is deployed might prove crucial in the overall outcome.
With a $10m Swing prize also on offer – if any of the players can ace the 12th hole in the designated $10m Swing slot on Saturday – plus music, entertainment and more, this promises to be a hugely entertaining weekend. Not one for the purists, but certainly something that might draw new fans to golf.