Capital One MLB Open 2026: Iván Rodríguez, Ozzie Smith and Defending Champ Aaron Hicks Tee Off at Shadow Creek, How to Watch

Iván Rodríguez, Ozzie Smith and defending champion Aaron Hicks are among the current and former players representing all 30 clubs when MLB's offseason golf tournament returns for a second year. The Capital One MLB Open tees off Wednesday at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, during MLB Awards Week. Round 1 falls on Veterans Day. World Baseball Network is a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, and we thank everyone who has served.

Last year, MLB kept the results quiet and held them for a TNT broadcast a week later. Royce Lewis and Aaron Hicks, representing the Twins, won it. This year MLB is putting the action on its YouTube channel, and Hicks is back to defend the title.

How to Watch

Round 1: Wednesday, Nov. 11
Final round: Thursday, Nov. 12
Where: Shadow Creek Golf Course, Las Vegas
Watch: MLB's YouTube channel

Players compete in two-man teams. Last year's tournament used a team best-ball format with modified Stableford scoring: each player hits his own ball, the team keeps its best score on each hole, and points are awarded based on score relative to par. A bad hole costs points but doesn't wreck a round, which rewards players for going after pins. MLB says this year's scoring system again lets players climb the leaderboard on any hole.

MLB is also posting content from golf creators the Bryan Bros, Rodger Steele and St. André. Capital One cardholders can get access to watch in person through Capital One Entertainment.

Featured Players

Iván Rodríguez, the Hall of Fame catcher from Puerto Rico whose son Dereck pitched in the majors, is on WBN's top 10 international father-son duos.

Ozzie Smith is the Hall of Fame shortstop known as "The Wizard."

David Wright, the former Mets captain, earned the nickname "Captain America" playing for Team USA at the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He also played last year.

Joe Mauer is a three-time AL batting champion and a Hall of Famer.

Ernie Clement set the postseason record with 30 hits in 2025, and he was the life of the course at last year's Open.

Mookie Betts isn't playing this year. He's covering the event from the course as a correspondent. Last year he nearly made a hole-in-one.

Baseball's Best Golfers

The favorites are two players in this field.

Jeff McNeil may be the best golfer in baseball. He's reported to play at scratch or better, he qualified for the 2009 U.S. Junior Amateur, and he has won the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions celebrity event.

Aaron Hicks also plays at about scratch, and he's said to have made five holes-in-one by age 15. He came up through MLB's Youth Academy in Compton, which held its 20th-anniversary celebrity golf event Monday at Pelican Hill, hosted by Torii Hunter and Gary Matthews Jr. Hicks has already won the Open once.

Other strong golfers in baseball include Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland, who carries a handicap under 1 and played for Colorado last year, and Zack Greinke, who plays to about a 1 and once seriously considered turning pro in golf. Hall of Famer John Smoltz has a handicap under 2, qualified for the 2018 U.S. Senior Open and played in last year's Open. Justin Verlander plays to about a 4.

Two former players took it further. Rick Rhoden was a scratch golfer during his 16-year pitching career and later played the Celebrity Players Tour and the U.S. Senior Open. Ken Harrelson left baseball for pro golf and played in the 1972 British Open at Muirfield.

There's a reason so many on that list are pitchers. Both pitching and golf come down to repeating one motion under pressure.

Other Athletes Who Golf

Basketball has the most famous golfers among athletes in other sports. Michael Jordan is the most devoted, Charles Barkley has the most famous swing, and Steph Curry is the best player, having teed it up in a professional event on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Capital One is no stranger to celebrity golf in Las Vegas. In 2023, its event The Match put Curry and Klay Thompson against Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce at Wynn Golf Club.

LeBron James has bigger plans for the sport. He said in July that he's "not just playing it just for fun." His goal, he said, is to open golf to kids from the inner city, so they can caddy, rent clubs and get coaching at 7, 8 or 9 years old.

What Fans Said

When MLB announced the first Open last year, the replies were mostly fans picking winners and making jokes. @CaseyJ_516 wrote, "Jeff McNeil (if playing) is winning this 🏆." Golf analyst Rick Gehman predicted, "All the pitchers are gonna slay." @Matt2Frosty called it the "Best thing MLB's done in YEARS and it's for another sport 😂."

One fan wanted an MLB chess tournament instead, to see Joey Votto take on Steven Kwan. Another joked that MLB was lining up content for a 2027 without baseball. This year, with a lockout possible in December, that joke hits closer to home. Former big leaguers Travis Snider and Barry Enright replied with 👀.

Last Year's Highlights

Ernie Clement and Joe Carter play for the Blue Jays:

Mookie nearly makes an ace:

Kevin Millar and Dustin May:

For the full 2025 field, pairings and results, read last year's coverage.

Sources: MLB.com, Capital One, PGA Tour, Boardroom, Golf.com, EssentiallySports, World Baseball Network.