Gareth Bale explains why golf career hasn't taken off after Rory McIlroy praise
Former Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale's love for golf is well-documented but it appears any suggestion he might turn professional is wide of the mark for now.
With the Welsman's glittering football career now over, he has been a regular on the golf course as he moves into a different chapter in his life. And he proved his talents are not limited to the pitch as he took part in the BMW PGA Celebrity Pro-Am. Arriving at Wentworth with an handicap of 0.5 - showing he has been working on his swing - Bale caught the eye as he was joined by household names such as Rory McIlroy, Jermaine Jenas and JP McManus.
In fact, four-time major champion McIlroy seemed very impressed with the former Tottenham winger, who was proving very adept at the DP World Tour event. In his dulcet Northern Irish tones, he was heard praising the retired footballer for his efforts after his opening tee-shot.
Seemingly pleasantly surprised by the former Wales talisman's connection, he said: "Good strike! That's OK there". In a memorable moment, the world-famous pair then shared an approving smile before Bale's former Spurs teammate Jenas took to the tee.
Despite his excellent showing in front of golfing royalty, it does appears that the five-time Champions League victor still feels he has a lot to learn when it comes to his second love. In an interview with Uproxx, the 34-year-old explained that he still feels far off professional standard.
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He explained: "There’s a big difference, don’t get me wrong. But they really just think their way around the course, they don’t make those silly mistakes, when they hit a bad shot, they hit a bad shot into the correct spot, they just get up and down from everywhere.
Gareth Bale impressed on his PGA Tour debut at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)"The focus they have, you can see it in their eyes, they’re just so focused with every shot. I feel like, for example, with me, an amateur, I can easily hit a couple of good shots and think I’m better than I am, and then come crumbling back down to earth, and then I have to grind again.
Showing the kind of relentless spirit that saw Bale rise from the youth ranks at Southampton to become one of the best players in the world, he still is backing himself to improve. With more time on his hands after hanging up his boots, it is clear that he is willing to put the hours in to get better.
He added: "So, just seeing, I guess, the practice they put in, obviously they put themselves in position where they’re gonna keep playing while not making too many mistakes. Something now that I would love to do more that I have the time is to practice and try and get better and try to achieve a better handicap."
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