NEWLY retired Gareth Bale shone on the first day of his PGA career, as he pulled off an incredible cart path shot and hit 65.
The 33-year-old stepped away from football after the World Cup, ending a glittering 17-year career.
Gareth Bale hit an incredible shot off a cart pathGetty
Bale teamed up with former Korn Ferry Tour Championship winner Joseph BramlettGetty
TwitterThe highlight of Bale’s day was when he pulled off a great par save from the greenside cart path[/caption]
Bale has always been a keen golfer, and so he has decided to compete in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
He is one of 156 amateurs taking part alongside 156 professionals.
Bale teamed up with former Korn Ferry Tour Championship winner Joseph Bramlett and the pair started with a seven-under-par 65 on the Spyglass Hill course.
But the highlight of former Tottenham and Real Madrid ace Bale’s day was when he pulled off a great par save from the greenside cart path.
The five-time Champions League winner bumped a chip to three feet.
Despite the fine shot, Bale says he’s “more worried” about how he ended up on the path in the first place.
He 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.
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“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, who has a two handicap and is used to performing under pressure, admitted he was nervous to make his PGA debut.
He said: “Yeah for sure (I was nervous).
“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.”
Bramlett and Bale have known each other for a year and the ex-footie ace is keen to keep learning from the 34-year-old.
Bale said: “We met about a year ago and we have just been speaking over the year.
“I said to him last week, let’s prepare for this week. He had a great week last week and what a player.
“He is a world-class player. Just watching these players play, you can learn things and how they go about their business and how they do their process.
“It is just nice to watch and pick up things, their demeanour, their focus.
“It is different from what we were used to but it is similar to my profession. We have similar traits, so fantastic playing with him today.”