A star-studded list of luminaries from stage, screen and sports will take to Hazeltine National for the Celebrity Match ahead of The 2016 Ryder Cup.
The nine-hole scramble, to be held between 1400 and 1745 local time on Tuesday September 27, will pitch eight celebrities from the United States against eight Europeans to kick-off the week’s festivities prior to the start of the 41st edition of The Ryder Cup on Friday September 30.
This year’s celebrity teams bring a fun mix of talent and big personalities.
THE EUROPEAN CELEBRITY SIDE
Andriy Shevchenko
Former professional soccer player and current Ukrainian national team coach. Shevchenko is ranked as the fifth top goalscorer in all European competitions with 67 goals. With a tally of 175 goals scored for Milan, Shevchenko is the second most prolific player in the history of the club. He is married to American model Kristen Pazik who was born in Minneapolis. Shevchenko is an avid golfer and participated in his first professional golf tournament, the Kharkov Superior Cup in September 2013.
José Andrés
Internationally-recognised Spanish American culinary innovator, author, educator, television personality, humanitarian and chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup. Andrés was named one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” and awarded “Outstanding Chef” by the James Beard Foundation. A pioneer of Spanish tapas in the United States, he is also known for his groundbreaking avant-garde cuisine.
Alessandro Del Piero
Italian former professional soccer player. Del Piero is widely regarded by players, pundits, and managers as one of the greatest players of his generation, and as one of the best Italian players of all time, winning the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year award in 1998 and 2008. A prolific goal-scorer, he is currently the second highest all-time Italian top-scorer in all competitions, with 346 goals, behind only Silvio Piola, with 390 goals.
Niall Horan
Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist, known as a member of the boy band One Direction. Horan has involved himself in the sports world a number of times on social media, and on April 8, 2015 he caddied for professional golfer Rory McIlroy for the Par 3 contest prior to the 2015 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. In 2016 Horan and golf player Justin Rose created the "Horan and Rose Gala", a charity event in aid of Cancer Research UK Kids and Teens.
Paul O’Connell
Retired Irish rugby player. He is Ireland's third most-capped player (108) and the joint-twelfth most-capped international player in rugby union history. O'Connell has captained Munster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions. O’Connell currently serves in an advisory role with the Greencore Munster Rugby Academy.
Martina Navratilova
Hall of Fame tennis star, and arguably the best tennis player ever to step on the court. Navratilova has won 59 Grand Slam crowns, a record nine Wimbledon singles champions, and overcame the odds to become both one of the most successful tennis players ever and an equally successful leader. Navratilova provides her articulate, intelligent and outspoken commentary to the Tennis Channel's audience during its coverage of the Grand Slams. She has been elected to serve as the ambassador for the WTA over the next five years and is a regular commentator for the BBC at Wimbledon.
Nigel Lythgoe
English television and film director and producer, television dance competition judge, former dancer in the Young Generation and choreographer. He is noted for being the producer of the shows Pop Idol and American Idol and creator and executive producer of, and a regular judge on So You Think You Can Dance. Beginning in 1969, Lythgoe performed with the BBC's The Young Generation dance troupe. He became their choreographer in 1971 and has since choreographed over 500 television shows.
John Regis
Retired English sprinter. During his career, he won gold medals in the 200 metres at the 1989 World Indoor Championships and the 1990 European Championships, and a silver medal in the distance at the 1993 World Championships. He was a member of the British teams which won the gold medal in the 4×400-metre relay at the 1991 World Championships, and the silver medal in the 4×100-metre relay at the 1988 Olympic Games. Regis is still the British 200-metre record-holder, which he set in 1994.
The American side, meanwhile, will be spear-headed by Olympic swimming legend Michael Phelps, who will be joined in Minnesota by 11-time surfing world champion Kelly Slater, film star Bill Murray, celebrity chef Todd English, actors Rob Riggle and Kurt Russell, former ice hockey star Jeremy Roenick and singer Huey Lewis.
The General Public Parking Lot for the 2016 Ryder Cup will be located at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn. The address is 1100 Canterbury Road, Shakopee, Minn., 55379. From the lot, spectators will take a 30-minute shuttle to Hazeltine. Parking at Canterbury Park, and the shuttle to the Ryder Cup will be free of charge.
Gate times for spectators attending the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club on Tuesday, September 27 are 0730 to 1830 local time.
