Andy Murray only called time on a glorious tennis career after last month’s Olympics in Paris, but he has already turned his attention to his latest pursuit, golf.
Earlier in September, the Scot posted a video of his swing on social media and wrote: "First golf lesson today on the journey to become a scratch golfer - any tips welcome.”
Andy Murray's golf swing is... pic.twitter.com/EozsPl33KuSeptember 5, 2024
Next came an invite to Wednesday's BMW PGA Championship Celebrity Pro-Am, where he played alongside PGA Tour star and compatriot Robert MacIntyre.
So, having witnessed Murray’s ability with a club in his hand, rather than a racket, at close quarters, what does MacIntyre make of his abilities on the course? “He was good," declared MacIntyre. "For a guy that's obviously not played that much golf, he played when he was younger, but then obviously through his tennis career, he didn't play as much.
“But he did say he was practising a hell of a lot in the lead up to this, and I thought he was good. For someone that's not really played that much, I thought he was good, and I mean, he did change his clubs yesterday, I think it was.
"Look, when I get a new set of clubs, normally they are not perfect for me. Probably got a bit of work to do. No, I was very impressed with his game.”
Asked which shots of Murray’s had impressed him, MacIntyre added: “He had a few. He hit a couple of wedge shots. Even the first hole, my tee shot was still out of position but wedged it up and then hit a lovely wedge shot. I mean, he'll be at scratch in no time.”
That came even after Murray had a bout of nerves before the Wentworth event. He said: “I'm not thinking I'm going to walk out on the tennis court and forget how to hit the ball. You just, you want to perform well.
"Whereas here, you're sort of nervous about - there's people standing like five metres away from where I'm driving, and I'm like, 'I'm useless at this game.' Yeah, you just want to try and keep the ball in play and don't mess up too much.”
He also admitted there is plenty of room for improvement, adding: “I think my expectations currently are pretty low. I'm not expecting to play very well. But yeah, I can see how if you're playing a lot and practising a lot and getting better and better, that changes.”
However, like MacIntyre, Murray also thinks getting to scratch is a realistic aim, but how long would it take him? “A couple years probably,” he said. “I mean, I'm obviously getting to practise a lot more than the average person.
“I obviously played a bit when I was younger, and if I can get the right sort of lessons and practise the right things, then yeah, I've got a chance of doing that I think in a couple years.”
Regardless of the gap in ability between the pair, the mutual respect between them was apparent. Murray said: “Playing with Bob MacIntyre, being a Scot, is really special,” while MacIntyre remarked: “It was like a dream come true for me, a sporting idol of mine. Yeah, it was just a special, special day.”
