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Tennis star Ash Barty makes a VERY cheeky joke about fiance Garry Kissick ahead of Icons Golf Series

  /  autty

Multi-talented athlete Ash Barty might have risen to the top of tennis, but the ever-modest Aussie still believes she is 'going to absolutely be struggling' when she takes on some of the world's biggest sports stars in the Icons Series golf tournament on Thursday night.

Barty - who remarkably plays off a handicap of just four - will take on an incredible list of sports stars that includes Premier League striker Harry Kane, Ricky Ponting, Super Bowl winner Ben Roethlisberger, cricket legend Brian Lara and Michael Phelps.

Her caddy for the event will be quite a familiar face to many: her fiance Garry Kissick, who is a trainee PGA golf professional at their local club, Brookwater in Brisbane's south-west.

Barty quipped she'd be putting her talented partner to the test when he carries the bag for her in the 10-hole tournament.

'I'm sure I will put Garry in some positions he has never seen before on the golf course,' she joked to Fox Sports.

The three-time grand slam winner, who held the number one women's ranking for 121 weeks before retiring earlier this year, won the women's club championship at Brookwater, and has impressed Aussie women's golfing legend Karrie Webb.

She's also played cricket at WBBL and WNCL level for Queensland, highlighting her incredible all-round abilities.

The tournament will be played as a matchplay - something that suits the ultra-competitive Barty - but she still admitted to having a few nerves.

'I'm going to absolutely be struggling,' she said.

'My heart was beating so fast playing the club championships in our final with nothing on the line, so this is going to be a lot of fun. I will just soak it all in.

'I love matchplay, I love getting out there and competing against the person not just the golf course.'

You can forgive her for a few nerves, given the field.

Joining her on the Rest of the World team are cricket greats like Ponting, Lara and AB De Villiers alongside Kane, George Gregan and star boxer Canelo Alvarez.

They'll be captained by former South African number one Ernie 'The Big Easy' Els, with former Masters champ Fred Couples to lead the American team.

It's a who's who of the NFL and NBA world in the US team, led by Roethlisberger, JR Smith and Michael Strahan alongside 28-time Olympic medallist Michael Phelps.

Some field, but we have no doubt our Ash can measure up against the very best.

So long as Garry can handle those difficult positions on the course, that is.

The event will tee off at approximately 9.30pm AEST on Thursday.