Darren Clarke, Retief Goosen and Justin Leonard will captain the 2026 Skechers World Champions Cup at Feather Sound Country Club.
The Skechers World Champions Cup is coming back to Tampa Bay with a serious legends-only feel.
Darren Clarke, Retief Goosen and Justin Leonard have been named captains for the 2026 Skechers World Champions Cup supporting Shriners Children’s, setting up another international showdown Dec. 3-6 at Feather Sound Country Club in Clearwater.
And if last year’s event proved anything, it’s that this isn’t some relaxed senior golf exhibition. There’s pride, history and plenty of competitive edge baked into this format.
Clarke will once again lead the European Team, and it’s easy to see why.
The 2011 Open Championship winner has become the face of Europe in this event, captaining the squad for the third straight year after guiding it to a runaway win at Feather Sound in 2025.
Clarke’s resume still pops: five Ryder Cup appearances as a player, captain of the 2016 European Ryder Cup team and a rare double as both Open Championship and Senior Open Championship winner.
He’s not just a ceremonial captain, either. Clarke recently won the American Family Insurance Championship and sits 10th in the Charles Schwab Cup standings, with a T3 at the Insperity Invitational and T7 at the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai also on his 2026 card.
Goosen brings a different kind of menace to the International Team.
The two-time U.S. Open champion won in 2001 and 2004, played in six Presidents Cups and spent more than 250 weeks inside the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings during his prime.
Now he gets the captain’s chair after playing in the inaugural 2023 event. Goosen already has a win this season at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic and is eighth in the Charles Schwab Cup standings.
For the U.S. Team, Leonard takes over after playing in the 2023 and 2025 editions.
He’ll always be tied to one of American golf’s loudest moments: the 45-foot birdie putt at the 1999 Ryder Cup that helped complete the U.S. comeback.
Leonard also won the 1997 Open Championship and owns 12 PGA TOUR victories.
Tournament director Brittany Jeanis said the captains will bring “grit and determination” as they build their teams, adding that the event has become a “fan-favorite” in Tampa Bay.
Feather Sound should give them a proper stage. The par-72, 7,332-yard course sits between Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Tampa, and owner Dale Schmidt said the 2025 event created real “buzz” among members and the community.
Now Tampa Bay gets another round of global golf bragging rights.
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