Iconic Players Cup at TMCC in June 2017
Football stars set to swop boots for gloves for golf shootout in June 2017
Less than 24 hours after a bruising encounter with Stoke City at the National Stadium in the Barclays Asia Trophy, Everton's Phil Jagielka was swinging a golf club and sweating it out on the Tanah Merah Country Club (TMCC) Gardens course yesterday afternoon.
The England defender made no secret of his love affair with golf during a press conference earlier, which announced the Iconic Players Cup event scheduled here in June 2017.
Jagielka, 32, is slated to be one of several football stars - past and present - who will compete in the Ryder Cup-style event, pitting Team England against a Rest-of-the-World side.
He played in the inaugural Icons Cup that was staged in Las Vegas last year - an event mooted by Worldwide Sports & Entertainment (WWSE).
"I love golf and lots of the other football lads do too," said the Everton centre back, who is in town with the Toffees for the Barclays Asia Trophy, along with Arsenal and Stoke.
"Playing in Vegas was an amazing experience and I've been hooked ever since the tournament.
"If I qualify, I'll be back here in 2017, for sure."
Fans can hope to catch the likes of Luis Figo, Gabriel Batistuta, Andriy Shevchenko and John Terry in the 2017 Iconic Players Cup, which will be held at the TMCC Gardens Course.
Last month, WWSE had staged the inaugural Icons Cup in Dubai - a precursor to the Singapore event.
It featured Team USA against a Rest-of-the-World side and past football masters like Figo, Shevchenko and Dwight Yorke graced the event.
The teams were led by Fred Couples and Darren Clarke respectively.
The Singapore event was initially scheduled for last month, but organisers WWSE had to postpone due to the short lead time and issues with sponsorship.
With two years to plan, WWSE chief executive Thomas Brookes is confident that they will deliver a "world-class" three-day tournament, aimed at promoting golf to young football fans.
GOOD FEEDBACK
The captains for the two teams will be announced in due course.
"We received good feedback as we did the planning for the event this year and we felt it would be much more feasible to host it in 2017 instead," he told The New Paper.
"It wouldn't be possible to stage it next year because of the European Championship - because we want as many high-profile footballers to compete.
"It will be a great chance to promote the game to non-golf fans who get up close with some of their favourite football heroes.
"We've started on the process of procuring sponsorship. A number of people are on board already and it's a good opportunity from here on for other interested parties to join us."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
