Premier League cult hero aiming for golf glory as he attempts to qualify for The Open - a year after injury heartbreak
Former Premier League star Jimmy Bullard is hoping to compete in The Open and will take part in the qualifiers as he hopes to land a berth at Royal Portrush this July.
The cult hero, 46, who played for Fulham, Wigan, and Hull City, hung up his boots in 2012 and is a keen golfer.
The former Soccer AM host is a scratch-level player and runs his own Youtube golf channel, Golf Life, which has over 335,000 subscribers.
Bullard competed in five of the now defunct EuroPro tour events between 2014 and 2016 and is targeting a spot at golf's oldest tournament this summer.
Announcing his attempt to qualify in a video on his channel, Bullard said: 'Done my back [last year], played too much golf so I've got to manage that.
'But I think that's just a one off to be honest. I don't really get injured do I? Quest for The Open, yes. But a quest to make me a better golfer.
'I feel like the game of golf, I've got to the ceiling of what I know. All my scores are like level par, one-under, I've reached my ceiling.
'How do I get to the next level shooting four, five, six under? Is it available to me with my ability? I don't know. But I feel I've come to the end where I need a coach. I've exhausted all the stuff I know.'
Regional qualification begins in June at 15 courses across the country, with around 2,000 hopefuls taking part. At least 16 will be granted entry to the tournament.
Bullard was left on the verge of tears after he was forced to pull out of qualifiers last year because of a back injury.
He has received high praise from a number of golfers including Lee Westwood, Ewen Ferguson and former Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie.
'Very little you have to work on,' Montgomerie told Bullard in a recent video.
'You've got great hands. You've got good speed. When you talk about 111, 112 miles an hour club head speed – that is PGA Tour stuff, never mind Champions Tour stuff.
'If you're asking the question to me – who hopefully knows a little about the tour – I'm telling you, you are plenty good enough to compete with the legends of the Champions Tour. Already. And that's without the next three years of giving it loads of graft.'
Bullard, who played for Fulham, Wigan, and Hull, hung up his boots in 2012 and is a keen golfer
Bullard was previously banned from the swanky Sunningdale Golf Club in Berkshire, where it costs £92,000 to become a full member, because of his drunken antics.
He revealed he took things a bit too far following 'a few drinks'.
'I'm not allowed to go again,' he told snooker legend Stephen Hendry.
'I had a few drinks and I got carried away. I put a Peroni off the first tee and clipped a ball off it.
'It's obviously not the thing to do so I apologise.
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