New golf sitcom reportedly set to cast Will Ferrell as face of controversial new league
Will Ferrell is not an athlete, but he's a big part of sports and golf, specifically. He's frequently seen courtside at NBA games and in the stands for other events. He recently partnered with Major League Baseball to play with a few different teams during Spring Training. He actually took the field and played baseball.
He's also done sports movies. He played basketball in Semi-Pro, drove NASCAR races in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and starred in Eastbound & Down, a series about a fictional baseball player.
Now, he's taking his talents and passions to the game of golf. He's set to star in a new sitcom centered on the sport and will be the controversial leader of a new league. It certainly sounds a bit like LIV and Greg Norman.
Per Deadline, the “series revolves around a professional golfer who becomes the face of a controversial new league competing with the PGA.” That makes it sound even more like LIV.
Ferrell is also an avid player and has even hosted The Will Powered Classic, a fundraising event benefiting Cancer for College, for 20 years now.
This will be his first major television role (he'll be the leading man for the series instead of a comedic side character) since his days on Saturday Night Live. The series remains under wraps as not even the name of the show has been revealed.
Golf took centerstage with the Netflix docuseries Full Swing and it appears it has sparked a resurgence in content. This time around, the golfing will be fictional, though it will explore a rivalry with the PGA Tour just like the Netflix series did.
LIV Golf's Ryder Cup status in the air
It was long thought that LIV members would not be able to participate in the Ryder Cup. When Henrik Stenson was stripped of his captaincy upon defecting, many thought that everyone would be disallowed.
That hasn't been officially decided yet. So while Will Ferrell prepares to fictitiously explore the PGA Tour-LIV rivalry, the rivalry is playing out in real time. American Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson said via Golf Digest:
“There's still a lot of time left in that regard, and so many fluid factors involved. As far as personally making decisions, no."
He continued:
“I will add that, when it comes to that notion, there's numerous factors, like I mentioned, but I am going to rely heavily on—actually, looking back at my previous cups that I've been a vice captain, I'm going to rely heavily on the guys that actually make the team because it's their team. So I don't know who those six are going to be, obviously, but their ownership and their opinions will weigh heavily into what I, what we, decide to do.”
After the major tournaments decided not to ban LIV members who would organically qualify, the focus has turned to events like the Ryder Cup to see what they'll do.