Gareth Bale admits suffering first tee nerves but impresses at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Golf News

Gareth Bale admits he suffered from nervousness ahead of his first AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am appearance; Bale impresses as one of 156 fans; coverage continues live Friday from 4.30pm on Sky Sports Golf

Gareth Bale admitted he was nervous ahead of his appearance at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Thursday, describing the experience as “out of his comfort zone”.

Bale, who is one of 156 amateurs taking part alongside 156 professionals, made a fine display, an excellent par save from the greenside cart path on the second particular high point by knocking down a three-foot chip.

It was the former Real Madrid star’s first appearance at the PGA Tour event, and he said: “Yes, of course (I was nervous).

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Gareth Bale finds the bunker on the opening hole of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am but recovers to score par.

“I think any fan will tell you they’re out of their comfort zone, even though we’re used to playing in front of 80,000 or more people live on TV. It’s a completely different sport.

“It’s something that’s just different and it’s a cool experience, and I’m lucky to have had one of my best shots on the first fairway, which was nice.”

Bale was paired with former Korn Ferry Tour Championship winner Joseph Bramlett for the first three rounds in California and enjoys getting a deeper insight into a professional golfer’s outlook.

“We met about a year ago and we’ve just talked over the year,” he said.

“I told him last week, let’s prepare for this week. He had a great week last week and what a player.

“He’s a world class player. Just watching these players play you can learn things and how they run their business and how they do it.

“It’s just nice to watch and capture things, their behavior, their focus.

“It’s different from what we were used to but it’s similar to my profession. We have similar traits, it’s so fantastic to play with him today.”

Indeed, that professional experience came in handy on the second hole when, instead of picking up the ball, Bramlett putt Bale for the “biggest back-and-forth” and he was off.

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Newly retired Gareth Bale reflects on his first round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and talks about his brilliant recovery on the second hole.

“I’m more worried about how I ended up [on the path] in the first place, but I guess a lot of fans find themselves in that position,” Bale said.

“It was a great shot and I just tried to play in the bank and hope for the best like most amateurs do.

“It was nice to see him rolling good and close and he was pretty much in par so I was like ‘I’m going to pick him up’ and he made me putt because he was like ‘it’s okay be the best -and down’.

“I finished well and it was a great shot, I can’t really say more.”

Watch the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am all week long live on Sky Sports. Advance coverage continues Friday from 4.30pm on Sky Sports Golf before full coverage from 8pm.

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