What is Gareth Bale’s golf handicap?

The Ryder Cup returns this week, bringing back the All-Star Match, where former footballer Gareth Bale will be participating. The ex-Real Madrid man is set to star in the golf tournament after retiring from football in January 2023, following a stellar career that saw him win over 20 trophies at Real Madrid and Tottenham.

He didn’t take long to swap his shorts for slacks, either. Bale made his PGA Tour debut at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February 2023, just a month after retiring from the beautiful game. And now, the 34-year-old has been named in Team Monty for the Ryder Cup All-Star match: he’ll be alongside captain Colin Montgomerie, Garret Hilbert, Leonardo Fioravanti, Novak Djokovic and Kipp Popert.

What is Bale’s handicap?

At the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am, which was held between the 19th and 22nd of September 2024, Gareth Bale was given a handicap of just 0.5. While his rating is not at the top of the elite level, he still impressed, putting on show his lovel of the sport that has grabbed plenty of headlines over the years.

He won’t be the only former footballer at the event. Former Chelsea captain John Terry is set to play with Tommy Fleetwood: he is playing off a handicap of 7.5.

Theo Walcott and Ben Foster are also in line to feature, who have handicaps of 10.2 and eight respectively.

Despite Bale’s talent on the putting green, he has no plans to go pro, responding “No, absolutely not,” when asked by Sky Sports. “All I can see is everything saying give up. I think I’ll give up before I start! Even if you get to a scratch, obviously it is great. These guys are +7 and +8, it’s a different level. You really appreciate what they’re able to do when you just stand and watch them play week in and week out.”