Gareth Bale’s retirement from skilled soccer was a shock, however the inevitable jokes which adopted weren’t.
Instantly after the 33-year-old hung up his boots, followers on social media all had the identical idea in regards to the untimely finish to Bale’s soccer profession.
The previous Tottenham and Actual Madrid star infamously stood in entrance of a banner which learn ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order.’
However possibly, simply possibly, the order has modified.
His love for golf is well-documented. On the Bernabeu, Bale was referred to as ‘The Golfer’ and lots of supporters felt the winger confirmed extra curiosity in his pastime than enjoying for the membership.
The Welshman additionally loves cash – don’t all of us. He virtually ended his profession on the elite stage in 2019 to safe a £1.2million-a-week deal to play in China.
So, naturally, LIV Golf appears like the apparent subsequent step for Bale.
The Saudi-backed breakaway circuit has paid profitable sums of cash to lure a few of golf’s largest stars away from the PGA Tour.
But besides star attractions such as Cam Smith and Dustin Johnson, it cannot be denied there is a lot of guff.
Brooks Koepka’s brother, Chase, is currently 1433rd in the world and only relevant because of his sibling.
He’s not even the lowest-ranked player on the tour.
Sporting integrity is not high on LIV’s list of priorities, but gaining attention very much is.
When you consider the absence of a developmental tour and the lack of any real qualification criteria, Bale to LIV isn’t as far-fetched as the trolls on Twitter probably thought when they joked about it.
His agent, Jonathan Barnett, admitted a move into professional golf is unlikely, but refused to rule it out.
Asked about Bale’s chances of becoming a professional golfer, Barnett told talkSPORT: “I don’t think so.
“But who knows, he could surprise everybody and just do it!”
Nevertheless, regardless of LIV’s blasé strategy to requirements, Bale has some work to do.
His handicap is regarded as round 2 – and any first rate professional golfer is anticipated to play off scratch (0 or higher).
Actually, each Rafael Nadal and Steph Curry are nearer to creating it on the earth of elite golf, as issues stand.
Tennis legend Nadal is already a scratch golfer and has even competed in skilled tournaments, ending sixth on the Balearic Golf Championship in 2020.
In the meantime, two-time NBA MVP Curry has really hinted at a profession on the PGA Tour when he retires from basketball. He has additionally competed in critical occasions.
Bale’s home in Cardiff boasts replicas of three well-known par-3s within the again yard: the seventeenth at Sawgrass, the Postage Stamp at Royal Troon, and the twelfth at Augusta.
However apart from a couple of Professional-Ams, that’s the closest he has received to the world {of professional} golf.
He’s, nevertheless, dedicated to rising the sport in Wales, turning into a associate of the Welsh Open in 2022.
And given Bale’s handicap was round 4 in 2019, he seems to be trending in the precise route.
If he wants some encouragement: Ian Poulter famously turned professional with a handicap of 4 in 1996 and bagged his first win three years later, on the 1999 Open de Cote d’Ivoire on the Problem Tour.
So if the query is, ‘Might Bale really turn out to be an expert golfer?’ The reply needs to be, ‘Sure’.
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Information Abstract:
- Gareth Bale retirement sparks LIV Golf jokes and agent refuses to rule out profession change
- Test all information and articles from the most recent Golf updates.