PALM HARBOR witnessed an extraordinary event four months prior to the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook Golf Resort. On December 12 - 14, 48 retired athletes from the four major North American sports took on the notoriously challenging Copperhead Course in the inaugural Pro Cup. This marked the first in a series of Ryder Cup-style tournaments among former professional baseball, basketball, football, and hockey players, with team captains John Smoltz, Jerome Bettis, Jeremy Roenick, and John Barry leading the charge.

Enthusiasm and the Spirit of Competition

During the December 11 press conference held on the back patio of the resort's Packard Steakhouse, the air was filled with excitement. The captains playfully ribbed each other, making it clear that the Pro Cup would not be a typical celebrity invitational. Smoltz, an MLB Hall of Fame pitcher and excellent amateur golfer, expressed, "We're all competition addicts. This fits our mold. We love golf and competing, and we've all been part of teams before." Fellow captain Jeremy Roenick, a longtime Chicago Blackhawk, agreed, stating, "This is awesome for us. As John said, being competitive junkies, we miss that rush when we retire. Once on the course with the guys, the competition rises. Although we're friends, it will be highly competitive. I just need to ensure my team plays no-contact golf!" Bettis, the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers running back known as "The Bus," said, "The opportunity to compete is what we've been missing. It also provides the chance to talk a lot of crap!"

The Appeal of the Pro Cup

Smoltz believes that the mix of healthy competition and the opportunity to see retired greats from all four sports is something that has been missing from professional, televised golf events. He emphasized, "Team sports and team celebrity golf is where the mark has been missed. Individual stroke-play is for the PGA, but this will be one of the best things we do all year and for the future. I've been itching to get here and can't express enough how excited we are to start." He also praised tournament organizers for bringing his long-considered concept to life and stated that the pressure is on Team MLB to win as "everyone knows baseball players are the best golfers!" The other three captains all had one motto in mind for the weekend: "Anybody but baseball!"

Giving Back to the Community

Another important aspect of the Pro Cup is its commitment to giving back to the community. It is affiliated with local youth sports organization CFY Pinellas. Brooke Bennett, a three-time Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer and longtime CFY board member, said, "I think this is a great opportunity for CFY as we continue to expand our services in Pinellas County. Our mission is to get kids active. No child should be denied the chance to participate in youth athletics, which is where most of these 48 professional athletes started. Having CFY involved and our foundation receive benefits from this tournament makes us extremely grateful."

The Potential for Growth

When asked if she could envision a team of Olympic athletes competing in the Pro Cup in the future, Bennett responded, "Not me! But talking with (tournament officials) about how this could grow, you could put together some Hollywood teams and Olympic athletes and also bring some women in. There's a lot of potential." Smoltz agreed, comparing the future of the Pro Cup to the gold standard of celebrity golf tourneys, the star-studded American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. He said, "I only get involved with things 100 percent, or I never get involved. To me, this has the makings of the next Tahoe. It's not hyperbole. Anytime you do something different, it will have an impact. But it's how you do it and what you do afterwards, and these guys understand that. I think when this plays out, you'll see people wanting to see more of that."