New Golf League Featuring Former Pro Athletes to Begin in December

A total of 33 former pros from across the sports world have committed to play in The Pro Cup at Innisbrook Resort.

Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz will captain a team of former pro baseball players in a new league. / Michael Madrid-Imagn Images

A new golf league headlined by former professional athletes is set to kick off this December.

The Pro Rivals Open has just announced that 33 former professional athletes across multiple sports have committed to participate in “The Pro Cup” this December at Innisbrook Resort, which also hosts the Valspar Championship on the PGA Tour.

The event will take place Dec. 10-14 and the entry list includes former baseball, basketball, football and hockey players. The 19 players currently confirmed to tee it up all have a handicap of 2.0 or lower.

“What’s so exciting about this process is that we’re not only building a ‘who’s who’ of some of the greatest professional athletes of our time, but they’re also avid golfers who are ready to compete on the course,” said Pro Rivals Open general manager Nick Clark. “The Pro Cup will bring them together at Innisbrook Resort as they seek to claim the ultimate bragging rights for their sport on the links.”

The players teeing it up at Innisbrook's Copperhead course include former all-stars and Hall of Famers.

MLB: Joe Carter, Tyler Clippard, Josh Donaldson, Brian McCann, Kevin Millar, Mark Mulder, Eric Gagne, Kyle Lohse, Vince Coleman, Derek Lowe.

NHL: Brett Hull, Justin Williams, James Wisniewski, Joe Pavelski, David Booth, Brad May, Ryan Getzlaf, Ray Whitney, Bernie Nicholls, Brenden Morrow.

NFL: Tim Brown, Mark Rypien, Josh Scobee, Patrick Peterson, Billy Joe Tolliver, Dwight Freeney.

NBA: Gerald Henderson Jr., Vinny Del Negro, Danny Ainge

Each team will have a playing captain that represents their sport: John Smoltz (baseball), Jerome Bettis (football), Jeremy Roenick (hockey) and Jon Barry (basketball).

The event will include 12-person teams competing against each other in a three-day, match-play format with singles and team matches.