Gareth Bale took one of the most anticipated shots of his career at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and he didn’t disappoint.
Teeing off for the first time at the legendary course, he ended up just over eight feet short of the hole.
So fine was his first stroke, the course-side commentator jokingly said: “He’s one of those guys Jim, he’s good at everything. I hate him.”
Speaking amid his first shots, Bale said: “I watch it every year, it’s amazing, a dream, literally, but there’s a lot of nerves for some reason.”
That dream had been clear for a long time, ever since his ‘Wales.Golf. Madrid’ banner back in 2019, which soured his relationship with the Spanish giants.
A five-time Champions League winner with Real, and a two-time final goalscorer, Bale is Wales’ and arguably Britain’s most successful ever player.
Leaving Madrid last summer, Bale spent the remainder of his football career at MLS side Los Angeles FC, which allowed him to captain Wales at the World Cup, before his retirement on January 9.
Less than a month after the announcement, aged 33, Bale clearly hasn’t wasted any time in retirement, as he put on a sublime display in California.
Chipping from an awkward looking spot on a kart path, he landed one ball just short of the hole for an easy putt, and later on he recovered from a trip to the bunker to come in on par.
The tournament sees 156 amateurs and 156 professionals team up in pairs to take on the legendary course, with huge names such as Bill Murray, Bateman and Macklemore all taking part.
Bale, though, ranks in the top ten among the amateurs, with only nine players boasting a better handicap than him.
That was clear to see in the first day of action, and things will likely continue in the event that runs from Thursday to Sunday, and is live on talkSPORT 2.
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