Djoker will be joined by celeb golf extraordinaire (and football 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

In years past, this match-up would be a clash between the US 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.”

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Hollywood actress Kathryn Newton will use her star power to support The R&A’s drive to make more people aware of the benefits of playing golf and inspire new audiences to take up the sport as a Global Development Ambassador.

Newton, 26, has previously starred in Big Little Lies, The Society, Golden Globe and Bafta award-winning Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and returned to big screens around the world in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Having amassed 2.4 million followers on social media, Newton will use the platforms to post about her love for golf and what she enjoys most about the sport in order to encourage fans to pick up a golf club for the first time through The R&A’s recently launched development initiative golf.golf.

She started playing golf aged four, competing at the age of eight and now plays off a handicap of four.

Kathryn Newton. R&A

Newton said: “I love playing golf and really want to show everyone why it’s such a good sport so that we can get them playing too. Golf is a chance to be outside, spend time with friends and be active. There are so many great things about the sport and I can’t wait to share them with my audiences.”

A passionate supporter of women’s golf, Newton will attend the Women in Sport Summit at Walton Heath on Wednesday ahead of the AIG Women’s Open which tees off on Thursday.

RELATED: Kathryn Newton breaks driver, doesn’t need it as she sinks 16 birdie putts in scramble event

“I am so excited to be attending the AIG Women’s Open, I cannot wait to watch the world’s best players in action,” she added.

“Last year, I was lucky enough to play some holes with Georgia Hall, who has won the Women’s Open, which was so inspiring. These women are such incredible athletes and I would encourage everyone to come out to Walton Heath to watch and learn from them too.

“To be also invited to be a guest speaker at the Women in Sport Summit, where I can share my passion for golf with a room full of like-minded women, who are some of the leading voices in their chosen professionals, is a real honour.”

Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A, said: “Golf has experienced a surge of interest with participation rising worldwide and so we need to capitalise on this opportunity for the sport by continuing the momentum. It is why we are working closely with Kathryn and our other ambassadors to position golf to millions of people as a fun activity that can be enjoyed by everyone, while debunking some of the unhelpful perceptions that exist.

“Kathryn is an avid golfer who is enthusiastic about getting more people into golf and we are grateful for her commitment towards supporting our aim of ensuring golf is thriving 50 years from now.”

Niall Horan. R&A

Newton joins major champion Michelle Wie West, football superstar Gareth Bale and global music sensation Niall Horan as Global Development Ambassadors appointed by The R&A to utilise the power of influencers from the sports and entertainment industries to broaden golf’s appeal and image.

Gareth Bale. PGA Tour

The R&A’s appointed Modest! Golf, founded by Horan, to work on golf.golf, an ambitious pilot initiative to encourage people to learn to play golf at a diverse range of golf facilities across Scotland.

Bale features in The R&A’s ‘Golf is Good’ campaign, first piloted in Wales last year, which builds on scientific research to promote the health and well-being benefits of playing the sport through creative storytelling.

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The event will feature a number of sporting superstars which include England football internationals Jordan Pickford and Jermaine Jenas, NFL champion Victor Cruz, world-title-winning boxer Tony Bellew and Indian international cricketer, Yuvraj Singh.  

They will be joined by Hollywood actress Kathryn Newton, pop star Ronan Keating, actor and presenter of ITV’s ‘The Chase’, Bradley Walsh, and renowned influencers that include Blake Gray, Calfreezy, Margaux Brooke and Marques Brownlee, who boast millions of followers on social media.  

The Open Invitational is being streamed live to a global audience via YouTube and TikTok, while lucky ticketholders for Sunday’s practice round will relish the chance to witness the action on-course and experience the atmosphere first-hand. 

Everton and England goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, shared his excitement by saying, “This is going to be a lot of fun and having the opportunity to play Royal Liverpool just days before The Open gets underway is really exciting. We’ll get to see the course in the same condition as the professionals do, which is a real honour. It will be a real challenge but one I’m looking forward to.”  

Expressing her passion for golf, Kathryn Newton, said, “Golf has always been a passion of mine from a young age and I can’t wait to play Royal Liverpool alongside such incredible and talented people. 

“This event promises to be a unique experience for all involved and Team Newton will be out to do all that we can to get the win.” 

Looking to draw on his cricket experience, former Indian cricketer, Yuvraj Singh, said, “The chance to play at a prestigious Open venue is a real privilege and I’m excited to witness the challenges that the players face first-hand. I will try and draw on all my cricket experience to perform at my best and help my team get the win.” 

The players will compete in three teams, led by Bellew, Cruz, and Newton, using a four-person scramble format over the back nine holes of Hoylake. The team with the lowest score will claim victory.  

Additionally, spectators can anticipate an enthralling closest-to-the-pin contest on the new Championship par-3 17th hole, followed by a gripping longest-drive competition on the par-5 Championship 18th hole.

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You’re at a scramble event, and you are paired with a Marvel superhero. But their driver snaps. Maybe that’s a good sign. Perhaps it’s their Kryptonite — apologies for mixing cinematic universes — but it doesn’t matter as they allegedly sink 16 putts, dragging you up and down the course with a smile on their face.

This sounds too good to be true, and yet it happened to a team at the JM Eagle LA Championship back in April. That superhero goes by Cassie Lang on-screen in Marvel’s Ant-Man trilogy but out here in the real world, her name is Kathryn Newton. And judging by this video which surfaced on TikTok this week, she’s really, really good at golf.

@tisha_alyn

I got to play with @kathrynnewton and we had a ball! ? Maybe the trick is to not use the driver so you can make every single putt ??‍ #fyp #womensgolf #lpga #proam #wilshirecountryclub #golftok

♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

@lpga_tour

Kathryn Newton in the house for LPGA pro-am! #lpga #golf #kathrynnewton #LA #proam

♬ original sound – LPGA

The Ant-Man star (as well as Freaky, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Detective Pikachu, Paranormal Activity 4 and Lady Bird), is known for her golf prowess, but proving one’s abilities in an LPGA event is something else entirely.

As you can see, Newton immediately broke her driver which was damaged while “travelling” and yet she made the best of a tough situation, nailing all of the putts and using a 3-wood to great effect to constantly awe her playing partners.

“She’s the best,” said partner Tisha Alyn. “Fun and goofy!”

Newton definitely impressed her scramble foursome at Wilshire Country Club, who claimed that she made “every single putt” and has “mad game.” She allegedly made 16 (yes, 16!) birdie putts. Let’s see Ant-Man co-star Paul Rudd do that.

 

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A post shared by Tisha Alyn (@tishaalyn)

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