Gareth Bale impressed on his PGA Tour debut at the Pebble-Beach Pro-Am after carding a seven-under par 65 along with professional partner Joseph Bramlett. Bale recently retired from football after a glittering 17-year career on the pitch.
The 33-year-old starred for Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid and Los Angeles FC, as well as the Welsh national team. Whilst becoming a giant of the footballing world, Bale made no secret of his passion for the game of golf.
And since retiring last month, the Welshman has been showcasing his talent out on the course - especially this week alongside some of the world's very best players.
The highlight of Bale's debut round on the PGA Tour came two holes in after playing an incredible chip shot from a cart path. Finding himself out of position, Bale bumped his attempt from the path into the bank of the green before the ball rolled within a few feet of the hole.
Despite his pro partner Bramlett already being in for par, the American made the footballer putt out his incredible pitch, describing it as the 'greatest up and down'. Speaking about his cart-path heroics post-round, Bale said: "I am more worried about how I found myself [on the path] in the first place, but I guess a lot of amateurs find themselves in that position.
"It was a great shot and I just tried to play into the bank and hope for the best like most amateurs do. It was nice to see it roll up nice and close and he was pretty much in for par so I was like 'I will pick it up' and he made me putt it because he was like 'this is going to be the greatest up-and-down'.
"I finished off nicely and it was a great shot, I can't really say much more." Bale has played on some of the biggest stages in world football, having won five Champions League crowns, three La Liga titles, as well as competing at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
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In spite of this, the Welshman still had plenty of nerves when he stood on the first tee in California on Thursday. Yeah for sure (I was nervous)," he admitted. "I think every amateur will tell you they are out of their comfort zone.
"Even though we are used to playing in front of 80,000 or more live on TV, it is a completely different sport. It is something that is just different and it is a cool experience, and I am lucky I hit one of my best shots down the first fairway which was nice."
