The five-time Champions League winner has made no secret of his love for all things golf but he still believes🍋 he is far away from turning professional despite praise from Rory McIlroy
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.
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.
Image:🍋 Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) 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."
