I'm 100 per cent sure I couldn't make it as a professional golfer
The former Real Madrid and Wales star is well known for his love of golf and has cut his handicap from 'three or four' to just 0.1 since retiring from football in January 2023.
Advertisement
That has led to suggestions that Bale – who has played on the PGA Tour at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-am where footage of him making a brilliant chip from a cart path went viral – could try and make it as a professional golfer, despite having turned 36 earlier this month.
Gareth Bale (right), with Colin Montgomerie, is used to playing celebrity golf events (Mike Egerton/PA)
'I'm fully, 100 per cent sure, I can not make it professionally,' Bale told BBC Wales ahead of this week's AIG Women's Open at Royal Porthcawl.
'When you are in golf and you see professional golfers play, compared to even your best stuff, it is nowhere near.
'When I've played with those players and watched them, you really appreciate how good they actually are.
Advertisement
Multi-sport athlete ⚽️
The cart path is no problem
@GarethBale11
.
pic.twitter.com/7EOuM3IE4M
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR)
February 2, 2023
'Never mind just playing with your friends, they are doing it under the most severe pressure, in tournament conditions, in hard weather.
'So there won't be any professional (golf) for me.
'But I love the game. I love watching it, I love growing it.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Leon Marchand adds another world record to his tally
French swimmer Leon Marchand has set a new world record in the men's 200m individual medley. Marchand clocked 1:52.69 at the World Championships in Singapore, surpassing Ryan Lochte 's 14-year-old record of 1:54.00. The Olympic champion achieved the feat in his semi-final, with the final scheduled for Thursday. Marchand, who also holds the world record for the 400m individual medley, earned $30,000 for breaking the record. He had taken an extended break after his Olympic triumph and faced injuries before making his return to competition in May.
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Man United hire F1 guru who has never worked in football to lead data department
Manchester United have appointed a serial winner from Formula One as their new data guru in a bid to use AI to transform their fortunes. Mike Sansoni, who contributed to eight world championship-winning seasons in an 11-year spell at the Mercedes F1 team, has joined United as director of data. Sansoni, who has never worked in football before and was Mercedes' senior performance engineer, replaces Dominic Jordan, who left United last year. But Sansoni, who will report to chief executive Omar Berrada at Old Trafford, is known to United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe as Ineos have a minority stake in Mercedes. United want Sansoni to use his knowledge of data and artificial intelligence to make a huge difference and, after making 450 people redundant, will appoint further people to his team. They said: 'He has been tasked with establishing Manchester United as a data-led organisation, embedding predictive and AI-driven decision-making across football and the wider club.' United have also appointed former Channel 4 director Kirstin Furber as their new people director. Furber, who has also worked for other broadcasters in BBC Worldwide and 20th Century Fox, has been on the board at British Wheelchair Basketball and the London Football Association.
Daily Mail
11 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I'm 40 and my daughter is 19 but people think we're sisters - so, can YOU tell who is younger?
A 40-year-old mother has claimed men mistake her and her teenage daughter as sisters or friends at gigs. Lynsey Schofield, from Blackpool, Lancashire, said people often think she's 20 years younger than she is, with her daughter admitting it's 'annoying' when young lads hit on her mother. Lynsey was just 21 when she had her daughter, Melody Heslop, 19, and the two are now best friends. The lookalike pair go to concerts and festivals together and have seen Liam Gallagher, The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and most recently Oasis together. The mother-of-two said fellow concert-goers have been shocked to learn she is a mother when they see her in the crowd and doubtful bouncers have even asked her for ID on the door. Meanwhile, daughter Melody admitted it does get 'a bit annoying' when lads her own age want to chat up her mother. Lynsey said: 'We were at The Prodigy concert last year and were just speaking to someone and they thought I was her friend. I was like, "oh no I'm her mum!" 'It's quite flattering, I'm quite happy for people to think I'm younger than I am. None of us want to get any older do we? 'When I went to The Prodigy, it was at Warehouse Project and they asked me for my ID, which I was more than happy to provide. It has given me a bit of an ego-boost.' Youthful Lynsey does not follow an extensive beauty or workout routine but, outside of her job as a support worker, she works as a sound healing practitioner and claimed this helps her stress levels. After they saw Oasis on their reunion tour, Lynsey posted photos of them together at the concert on Facebook. Those in the comments were in disbelief that the duo were mother and daughter, saying the pair looked like sisters and describing Lynsey as 'supersonic'. She mentioned that a few overly eager men have attempted to contact her privately via direct messages on Facebook. Lynsey said: 'The amount of friend requests I've had from random men is unbelievable. '[The Oasis reunion] was a big thing for us because we'd spoken about it since she was little and I promised her when she was 11 if they ever got back together we would go. 'I put it [the picture of us both] up because I was buzzing about being at the concert. 'I wasn't expecting so many comments. I was surprised at how many people made the comparison to be honest. It's nice for people to think I'm younger than I am.' Teenager Melody was not surprised by the comments on the post and said she gets flack about her young mother from lads her age. Melody, who works as a waitress, said: 'We get it a lot so it's something I'm used to. I find it quite funny sometimes. 'We've had it since I was younger anyway. Through all of my teenage years we've been compared as sisters.
