Icons Series Golf: Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Phelps Day 1 Schedule and Picks

What do former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, former Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and three-time Grand Slam champion tennis player Ash Barty all have in common? They're hitting the greens for a unique golf event this week in Jersey City, N.J.

Those three, along with plenty of other current and former pro athletes, are part of the Icons Series, a new golf series that will be conducted in a 10-hole match-play format. The first event is being held at Liberty National Golf Club on Thursday and Friday.

There will be two teams going head-to-head: one composed of athletes from the United States and one featuring international competitors. Each will have a pro golfer serving as the captain, with Fred Funk leading the U.S. squad and Ernie Els leading the international team.

Here's everything you need to know before the Icons Series gets underway.

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Day 1 Schedule

Session 1: Five fourballs
Session 2: Five greensomes
Session 3: Five fourballs

There's no live coverage for Day 1, but Day 2 will stream on Peacock from 2-6:30 p.m. ET.

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Full Rosters

United States
Fred Couples (golf)
Michael Phelps (swimming)
Michael Strahan (football)
Ben Roethlisberger (football)
J.R. Smith (basketball)
Andrew Whitworth (football)
Robbie Gould (football)
John Smoltz (baseball)
Marshall Faulk (football)
Reggie Bush (football)
Golden Tate (football)
Michael Vick (football)
Brice Butler (football)

International
Ernie Els (golf)
Ash Barty (tennis)
Harry Kane (soccer)
Canelo Alvarez (boxing)
AB de Villiers (cricket)
James Milner (soccer)
George Gregan (rugby)
Ricky Ponting (cricket)
Brian Lara (cricket)
Yuvraj Singh (cricket)
Ivan Rodriguez (baseball)
Gavin Hastings (rugby)
Alan Smith (soccer)

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Preview, Golfers to Watch

The United States team is filled with names that are familiar to NFL fans. Of the 13 athletes on the U.S. roster, nine are current or former football players. But some of them are better golfers than others.

The Icons Series site has listed the golf handicap of each of these athletes, and of the U.S. football players, Golden Tate has the best one at 3.2. That shouldn't come as a surprise. The wide receiver, who played 11 seasons in the NFL, recently started a pro baseball career, joining the Port Angeles Lefties of the West Coast League.

If Tate is talented enough to have played both football and baseball at a high level, he could thrive on the golf course as well. So he'll be one of the top athletes from the United States to watch this week.

Former MLB pitcher John Smoltz could be the best non-golfer on the U.S. team, though. He has a handicap of 1.6 and is a regular participant in the annual American Century Championship celebrity tournament. Smoltz placed second at that event last year, behind only former NBA player Vinny Del Negro.

"By getting to pro ball, [golf] became essential for my career as an outlet to get away from the mechanics of throwing a baseball," Smoltz recently said, per Jared Vasquez of Nevada Sports Net. "And that was huge for a baseball player who releases the ball and relies on eight other teammates. Golf is the opposite. You're relying on yourself. It exposes you. And I'm just beyond addicted to it. And it's a sport you can play for a long time."

While Smoltz should have a strong showing and Tate could play well, the U.S. team may not keep up with the international squad. Don't be surprised if the international team ends up winning this inaugural event.

The best non-golfer on the international roster is clearly English soccer player Harry Kane, who has a handicap of zero. The 28-year-old may spend a good bit of his time playing with Tottenham Hotspur of the Premier League, but he's also a strong golfer.

Barty may have a handicap of four, but she could also be somebody to watch this week. She was one of the top tennis players in the world, she has experience playing cricket and she's still only 26. So there's reason to think she could also have success in golf.

Plus, Barty's golf game has been endorsed by Karrie Webb, a fellow Australian and a successful golfer on the LPGA Tour.

"She's got good hands from how she plays tennis," Webb said, per Ollie Lewis of Daily Mail Australia. "You could tell she had good hands and she'd developed a good short game, and that just needs sharpening."

Either team could win this two-day event, and it should be entertaining to follow. Even if these aren't golfers, they're competitive pro athletes who aren't going to want to lose.

The prediction here is that the international team wins the inaugural Icons Series event, with Kane and Barty having strong showings on Day 1.