Given the passion that drives him for this game, we can think that Gareth Bale is living his best life on the Pebble Beach side, in California. The former Real Madrid player, retired a few weeks after a final lap at the World Cup in Qatar, hit his first balls this week at one of the most prestigious tournaments on the American pro golf circuit (PGA ), the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which runs until Sunday.
In this tournament bringing together 156 professional players and 156 amateurs, the Welshman shared his part with the American Joseph Bramlett, whose best performance in a Major is a 37th place at the US Open 2022. The two men finished with a total of 65, or 7 strokes under par, in 18th position.
Jon Rahm praise
But the main thing was not there for Gareth Bale, who was able to taste the thrills of a top tournament. “Obviously, it’s a completely different sport, he reacted according to comments relayed by Wales Online. It’s a cool experience. I had the chance to hit one of my best shots on the first fairway, it allowed me to relax a bit. »
The Welshman indeed distinguished himself at the start of his game with a chips (an approach shot near the green) well felt in complicated conditions, from a sidewalk. “I’m more worried about how I got there in the first place, but I guess that happens to a lot of fans,” he laughed afterwards. It was a great shot, I just hit as best I could and hoped for the best, like a lot of amateurs do. »
The former captain of Wales is very modest. During training sessions before the competition, he had the opportunity to type with number 3, Jon Rahm, who said he was impressed by his level. “I said to Gareth, ‘you can’t be so good at football and golf at the same time, that just doesn’t seem fair’,” the Spaniard said. Who might not be aware that Bale was actually a golfer long before he officially bowed out in football.