Ashleigh Barty is poised to play in a series of exhibition golf tournaments as speculation mounts on whether the former tennis star is set for a second career on the greens.
Almost one month after announcing her tennis retirement at 25, it's been confirmed Barty will be one of the headline names involved in the Icons Series. There, she'll feature on a Rest-of-the-World team captained by golf great Ernie Els as they look to upset the United States on their own soil.
The first stop of the series takes place at Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey from June 30 to July 1, with Pep Guardiola and England skipper Harry Kane among Barty's soon-to-be team-mates. Fred Couples, the 1992 Masters champion, will captain a U.S. team including the likes of boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya and all-time record Olympic gold medal-winner (23), Michael Phelps.
The Icons Series event will be a nine-hole, team match play format and is set to be televised in Australia. Although Barty has yet to make any concrete post-tennis plans, it's expected golf will have some part to play in the next stage of her life.
She and fiance Garry Kissick—a PGA Tour trainee professional—live on a mansion that backs onto the Brookwater Golf and Country Club. There, Barty won a ladies golf tournament earlier this month having already clinched its women's club championship two years ago.
Barty confirmed her departure from tennis in late March after saying she no longer had "the physical drive, the emotional want and everything it takes to challenge yourself at the very top of the level any more." She won the French Open (2019), Wimbledon (2021) and her native Australian Open (2022) before becoming just the second player to retire as the reigning world No. 1.
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Icons Series chief executive Thomas Brookes told the Sydney Morning Herald former world No. 5 Ian Poulter was stunned by Barty's golf prowess after meeting at a U.S. Open driving range. Legend Tiger Woods also praised the Australian following an exhibition encounter in Melbourne in 2020, saying: "She's got a great swing, are you kidding me?"
Seven-time major champion Karrie Webb was also complimentary of Barty's golf talent after playing a round alongside her at Victoria Golf Club in 2019: “She’s a really handy player and just that one day I could tell if she puts some time into it she will be a great player.”
Reports have indicated Barty's athletic versatility could take her in numerous directions post-tennis, with the Ipswich native also a keen cricketer and avid Australian rules football fan. She was even said to be a scouting target for some AFL women's teams, though it's golf that appears the most likely route for her next sporting pursuit.
