This June two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers and golf fanatic Justin Timberlake, who serves as host to a PGA Tour event in Las Vegas, will join Michael Jordan at Bethpage Black for the second annual Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge.
The final entry to the foursome that will battle Bethpage's Black Course under U.S. Open conditions prior to the 2009 U.S. Open will be determined April 30, when an amateur is finally picked from a field of 75,581 entries. Golf fans can vote for one of the four remaining finalists at www.gdopencontest.com .
Roethlisberger follows in the footsteps of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo who played in last year's challenge at Torrey Pines.
"This is an amazing opportunity for a guy who loves golf; a chance to play with Michael Jordan and Justin Timberlake on Bethpage Black and on a U.S. Open setup," Roethlisberger told the New York Times. "Really, my goal on a course like that will be to break 100. If I shoot 99, I'll be happy. Of course, I'd love to break 90, and I'll definitely be trying to do that."
Roethlisberger, who has been spending a fair amount of time on the golf course since leading the Steelers to a victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, recently played in the Kraft Nabisco Championship Celebrity Pro-Am in California and was paired with Natalie Gulbis according to the Desert Sun newspaper.
Timberlake, who was introduced to golf by his father, is a self-taught golfer who has significantly improved his game in the past five years and become a fixture in the professional golf arena with his Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, which debuted last October in Las Vegas.
The singer, song writer and entertainer also participated in last year's U.S. Open Challenge at Torrey Pines, finishing with a score of 98.
"The toughest and coolest thing I've ever been a part of," Timberlake told Golf Digest of the event. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
Timberlake, who used to have a home next to Ty Tryon at Bay Hill in Orlando, has played Augusta National with his dad, saved a golf course in Memphis from foreclosure, attended the previous U.S. Open at Bethpage Black in 2002 and appeared on the November 2009 cover of Golf Digest. His current home course is Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California.
The 18-hole round featuring the celebrities and amateur winner will be taped by NBC Sports and air on Sunday, June 21 at noon ET, immediately prior to the final-round broadcast of the U.S. Open.
Butch Harmon will once again caddie for Timberlake, while 1992 Masters champion Fred Couples will carry the bag for Jordan. Roethlisberger's caddie will be announced at a later date. Last year, sports psychologist Bob Rotella served as caddie for John Atkinson, who was the amateur participant.