Tiger Woods and Fred Couples have been friends for over 20 years, but next week the two golf legends will captain rival teams of celebrity golfers in the new Celebrity Cup at the Genesis Open.
Woods is making his second start of the year at the Genesis, but he’s also playing tournament host for the event that benefits his TGR Foundation. The pre-tournament festivities at this year’s event feature a new competition pitting golf-obsessed celebrities against each other.
The teams captained by Tiger and Freddie will each consist of six celebrities who will battle it out over the back nine at Riviera Country Club in a four-ball format. The new competition will be held on Monday, February 11, acting as a fitting opener for what will be an exciting week in Los Angeles. Tiger’s team will be known as “Team Eldrick,” while Couples’s will be called “Team Frederick.”
As Tiger’s website states, Riviera Country Club’s location near Hollywood has made it a natural “home to Hollywood legends like Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn” and many more.
We don’t know which teams each celebrity will play for, but many of the participants have already been announced. Among those competing in the inaugural event will be recording artist and actor Nick Jonas; NFL legends Jerry Rice, Reggie Bush, and Larry Fitzgerald; actors Mark Wahlberg, Chris Harrison, and Oliver Hudson; and even GOLF’s own Paige Spiranac.
.@JerryRice: Super Bowl XXIII Most Valuable Player. #CelebrityCup 2019 Most Valuable Putter? pic.twitter.com/LPxqZlmp3j
— TGR Live (@TGRLiveEvents) February 6, 2019
While the Celebrity Cup will draw a lot of fans, the real attention next week will be on the captain of Team Eldrick. Tiger began his season two weeks ago at the Farmers Insurance Open, where he shot a 67 in the final round to finish T20. He missed the cut at last year’s Genesis when he was just beginning what would turn into an incredible comeback in 2018.
Woods and Couples are no strangers to leading teams in competition. Couples has captained multiple Presidents Cup teams, and Woods has served as vice captain in the Presidents and Ryder Cups. Tiger will take the reins as U.S. Presidents Cup captain later this year.
