Gareth Bale’s retirement from professional football was a surprise, but the inevitable jokes that followed were not.
Immediately after the 33-year-old hung up his boots, fans on social media all had the same theory about the premature end to Bale’s football career.
Bale is a self-confessed golf nut
The former Tottenham and Real Madrid star infamously stood in front of a banner which read ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order.’
But maybe, just maybe, the order has changed.
His love for golf is well-documented. At the Bernabeu, Bale was known as ‘The Golfer’ and many supporters felt the winger showed more interest in his hobby than playing for the club.
The Welshman also loves money – don’t we all. He almost ended his career at the elite level in 2019 to secure a £1.2 million-a-week deal to play in China.
So, naturally, LIV Golf feels like the obvious next step for Bale.
The Saudi-backed breakaway circuit has paid lucrative sums of money to lure some of golf’s biggest 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.
Getty Images – Getty
LIV Golf continues to cause controversy
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!”
Getty – Contributor
Bale is not quite at the required level
However, despite LIV’s blasé approach to standards, Bale has some work to do.
His handicap is thought to be around 2 – and any decent pro golfer is expected to play off scratch (0 or better).
In fact, both Rafael Nadal and Steph Curry are closer to making it in the world of elite golf, as things stand.
Tennis legend Nadal is already a scratch golfer and has even competed in professional tournaments, finishing sixth at the Balearic Golf Championship in 2020.
Meanwhile, two-time NBA MVP Curry has actually hinted at a career on the PGA Tour when he retires from basketball. He has also competed in serious events.
Bale’s house in Cardiff boasts replicas of three famous par-3s in the back yard: the 17th at Sawgrass, the Postage Stamp at Royal Troon, and the 12th at Augusta.
But besides a few Pro-Ams, that is the closest he has gotten to the world of professional golf.
He is, however, committed to growing the game in Wales, becoming a partner of the Welsh Open in 2022.
Rex Features
Bale famously makes plenty of time for practice
And given Bale’s handicap was around 4 in 2019, he appears to be trending in the right direction.
If he needs some encouragement: Ian Poulter famously turned pro with a handicap of 4 in 1996 and bagged his first win three years later, at the 1999 Open de Cote d’Ivoire on the Challenge Tour.
So if the question is, ‘Could Bale actually become a professional golfer?’ The answer has to be, ‘Yes’.
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