Djoker will be joined by celeb golf extraordinaire (and football great) Gareth Bale as well as fellow footballer Andriy Shevchenko, Marvel star Kathryn Newton, Super Bowl winner Victor Cruz, Formula One driver Carlos Sainz, Italian professional surfer Leonardo Fioravanti and one of the dudes from Dude Perfect for some reason.

Ryder Cup

In years past, this match-up would be a clash between the US and Europe stars, but they will be mixed together this go-around and captained by Ryder Cup royalty in Colin Montgomerie and Corey Pavin. The two went head-to-head at the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and will be playing in this year’s matches for a rematch of sorts.

Two recent winners of the G4D (golfers with a disability) Tour — Kipp Popert from England and Tomasso Perrino from Italy — will be teeing it up alongside the celebs as well.

“I can’t wait to tee it up in Rome and experience the incredible atmosphere of a Ryder Cup, which has become legendary,” Djokovic said. “The course looks like a fantastic test of golf and my playing partner Kipp, a seasoned pro, has won a lot on the G4D Tour recently so I’m confident we can get a point for the team. It’s going to be a great spectacle for the fans.”

“We have athletes proven at the highest level in Novak, Gareth, Leonardo and Kipp,” Montgomerie added. “And Garrett from Dude Perfect is a strong golfer who’ll be bringing some comedic light relief in the heat of battle.”

The post Who needs golfers? Novak Djokovic, Gareth Bale and more to compete in Ryder Cup All-Star Match at Marco Simone appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Hollywood actress Kathryn Newton will use her star power to support The R&A’s drive to make more people aware of the benefits of playing golf and inspire new audiences to take up the sport as a Global Development Ambassador.

Newton, 26, has previously starred in Big Little Lies, The Society, Golden Globe and Bafta award-winning Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and returned to big screens around the world in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Having amassed 2.4 million followers on social media, Newton will use the platforms to post about her love for golf and what she enjoys most about the sport in order to encourage fans to pick up a golf club for the first time through The R&A’s recently launched development initiative golf.golf.

She started playing golf aged four, competing at the age of eight and now plays off a handicap of four.

Kathryn Newton. R&A

Newton said: “I love playing golf and really want to show everyone why it’s such a good sport so that we can get them playing too. Golf is a chance to be outside, spend time with friends and be active. There are so many great things about the sport and I can’t wait to share them with my audiences.”

A passionate supporter of women’s golf, Newton will attend the Women in Sport Summit at Walton Heath on Wednesday ahead of the AIG Women’s Open which tees off on Thursday.

RELATED: Kathryn Newton breaks driver, doesn’t need it as she sinks 16 birdie putts in scramble event

“I am so excited to be attending the AIG Women’s Open, I cannot wait to watch the world’s best players in action,” she added.

“Last year, I was lucky enough to play some holes with Georgia Hall, who has won the Women’s Open, which was so inspiring. These women are such incredible athletes and I would encourage everyone to come out to Walton Heath to watch and learn from them too.

“To be also invited to be a guest speaker at the Women in Sport Summit, where I can share my passion for golf with a room full of like-minded women, who are some of the leading voices in their chosen professionals, is a real honour.”

Phil Anderton, Chief Development Officer at The R&A, said: “Golf has experienced a surge of interest with participation rising worldwide and so we need to capitalise on this opportunity for the sport by continuing the momentum. It is why we are working closely with Kathryn and our other ambassadors to position golf to millions of people as a fun activity that can be enjoyed by everyone, while debunking some of the unhelpful perceptions that exist.

“Kathryn is an avid golfer who is enthusiastic about getting more people into golf and we are grateful for her commitment towards supporting our aim of ensuring golf is thriving 50 years from now.”

Niall Horan. R&A

Newton joins major champion Michelle Wie West, football superstar Gareth Bale and global music sensation Niall Horan as Global Development Ambassadors appointed by The R&A to utilise the power of influencers from the sports and entertainment industries to broaden golf’s appeal and image.

Gareth Bale. PGA Tour

The R&A’s appointed Modest! Golf, founded by Horan, to work on golf.golf, an ambitious pilot initiative to encourage people to learn to play golf at a diverse range of golf facilities across Scotland.

Bale features in The R&A’s ‘Golf is Good’ campaign, first piloted in Wales last year, which builds on scientific research to promote the health and well-being benefits of playing the sport through creative storytelling.

The post Hollywood actress Kathryn Newton joins the likes of Niall Horan, Gareth Bale and Michelle Wie West as R&A Ambassador appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

It’s a well-known fact that Gareth Bale’s retirement from football in January meant he was going to be playing more golf. Well, more golf than all the golf he was already playing, something he was criticised for (wrongly, in our opinion, of course) during his career. But just a few months later, Bale can already claim another huge accomplishment on his golfing resume: a hole-in-one.

And not just any hole-in-one. Bale aced the famed third hole at Torrey Pines’ South Course. You know, that downhill beauty with the Pacific as a background that everyone pauses to snap a photo when they play. With that view, the course’s PGA Tour/US Open history, and the fact that Bale could actually see his golf ball roll into the cup, it would be tough to pick a better spot for this momentous occasion. But it gets even better!

Bale had a friend video his shot. And that friend also wound up providing some electric commentary when the ball went in, setting off a celebration from Bale as if he had just scored the winning goal for Wales in the World Cup. Check it out:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Gareth Bale (@garethbale11)

Great stuff, Gareth. And Ollie. “This is a video for the ages!” Indeed. At 33, Bale has a lot of golf ahead of him, but it will be tough to top that.

The post WATCH: Gareth Bale aces one of golf’s most famous par 3s, celebrates as if Wales won the World Cup appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

So when the inevitable query came up on Tuesday at Torrey Pines about Rahm’s opportunity in this week’s Farmers Insurance Open, which begins on Wednesday, to pull off the rare feat of winning three straight PGA Tour starts, the World No. 3 didn’t beg off or couch his answer.

“It’s on my mind, obviously,” he said with a smile. “I’ve been reminded it of it many, many times. And even more knowing where we’re coming—a place where I’ve played so good at.”

A few minutes later, when asked if he had the ability in this moment to savour what he’s already accomplished of late — four wins in his last six starts worldwide, including the Sentry Tournament of Champions in early January and last week’s American Express—he said he didn’t have the luxury to do that.

“I don’t want to do too much of stepping back when tomorrow I’m teeing off again for another tournament. I’ll do that on Sunday or next week,” Rahm said. “Right now, trying to make it three in a row and extend that if possible.

“I wouldn’t say I’m taking anything for granted, no. I’m aware very few people have been able to do this. I saw some list — think there’s only five or six of us to start the [calendar] year with two wins — Justin Thomas being the most recent one six years ago [in 2017]. I’m aware this is very rare, and I appreciate it because, if anything, it’s a humbling feeling of how much work you need to put in to be able to do something like this because of the talent you have out there.”

Dustin Johnson was the last to achieve the trifecta in 2017 and was preceded by Rory McIlroy in 2014 and Tiger Woods in 2008. Woods, of course, put together the longest winning streak of golf’s modern era when he won seven straight tournaments that bridged the 2006 and ’07 seasons, while Byron Nelson holds the all-time tour record of 11 in a row in 1945.

That Woods’ seventh win in his streak came at Torrey Pines was fitting, given his love for the place. Though Rahm hasn’t yet compiled Tiger’s record on the cliffs of La Jolla (eight wins total, including the 2008 US Open), he carries just as much affinity for the two municipal courses. Rahm notched his first PGA Tour win here in the 2017, his first major triumph in the 2021 US Open on the South Course and has finished T-5, second, T-7 and T-3 in the last four years at the Farmers.

“He’s going to be a pretty tough man to beat, since he loves this place,” said Xander Schauffele, the second-highest ranked player in the field at No. 6 in the world.

Schauffele said he spent some time at the TOC with Rahm and he was raving about his new Callaway driver. “So, a confident man, that’s a very dangerous place to start,” he said.

“He’s gone on runs in the past,” Schauffele added. “To me, there are only a few players currently who can go on these runs where they play like the No. 1 player in the world. Rory has shown it; Rahm has shown it; there have been a few others since Tiger in his heyday. They’ve got that confidence, that walk, that swagger. I’m going to try to get myself to a point where my game is complete enough to do that.”

Rahm appreciates how precious and potentially fleeting this current vibe could be. It was just more than a year after Woods’ seven-win streak that he suffered the injuries to his right leg that would hamper him for a couple of years. Johnson, after he won the WGC-Dell Match Play in 2017 to complete his trifecta, suffered a back injury less than a month later to keep him from playing in the Masters. He also had a knee injury in the 2019 season that sidelined him for months, though he won nine more times on tour before heading to LIV Golf last year.

“Who knows how long till one of those comes again,” Rahm said. “…Definitely got to appreciate it while it’s there, but I’m still playing for No. 3.”

Only 48 hours after his AmEx win, on a crisp and cloudless day at Torrey Pines, Rahm’s Farmers week got off to an enjoyable start when he was paired for nine holes in the Tuesday pro-am with Gareth Bale. It was two superstars enjoying the day, with the Welshman Bale having headlined for years the Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid. Rahm would have never worn that logo, though, because he’s always cheered for Bilbao.

“He’s the reason why Real Madrid beat my team pretty much for 10 years,” Rahm said. “I wasn’t really a big fan of that, but obviously respect him a lot as a player.”

Bale, who recently announced his retirement from football, is an avid golfer who will complete as an amateur next week for the first time in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. He also has hosted the DP World Tour’s Cazoo Open at Celtic Manor in Wales. How much does the 33-year-old enjoy the game? He incensed Madrid fans in 2019 when he was pictured with a banner that read, “Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order.”

Rahm raved about Bale’s golf after Tuesday’s round.

“I told Gareth, ‘You can’t be so good at professional football and golf at the same time, it just doesn’t seem fair,’” Rahm said. “…He’s looking to retire soon, and you can tell he loves this sport, he loves golf and he really wants to get to play a little bit more, so hopefully in the future I’ll see him more times in the pro-am …

“The second he’s done [with football] and can practice more, he’s going to get a lot better. He got two strokes [in the pro-am], which I think is already wrong. He should be giving strokes back to the rest of the amateurs because he is a very, very good player.”

Like we said of Rahm — no holding back.

The post Jon Rahm celebrates latest win with football star Gareth Bale at Torrey Pines while eyeing the rare victory trifecta appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

RELATED: Bale just took the best backyard golf hole competition to a whole new level

For whatever reason — the hyperbolic nature of Spanish media, the infamous “Wales. Golf. Madrid.” banner — that will be how much of the football world remembers Gareth Bale. That’s not entirely fair, but his reputation as a card-carrying golf-aholic is already serving him well in retirement. Less than 24 hours after the Welshman’s announcement, he is already receiving invites to tee it up from all across sports, including from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, a mad-hatter-level soccer genius currently pushing to win his fifth Premier League title in the last six seasons.

? “Now he will become a fantastic golf player.”

Pep Guardiola on Gareth Bale’s retirement from football. pic.twitter.com/nurlEP9TGE

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) January 10, 2023

Why is Guardiola so eager to play 18 with Bale you might ask? Well, for all his accomplishments and accolades, Guardiola has failed to lead both Bayern Munich and Manchester City — two of the most powerful clubs on Earth — to Champions League glory over the past decade. It has morphed from a media narrative to self-fulfilling prophecy in recent years, and who better to talk Guardiola out of it than Mr Champions League himself?

Unlike Bale, Guardiola’s dance card is going to be pretty full between now and the end of the season, but the Champions League final isn’t until June 10. We’re pretty sure the pair can work out a tee time before then.

The post Gareth Bale has been retired less than 48 hours and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is already trying to set up a tee time with him appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

That was the end of Bale’s winter golf sabbatical … or so we thought. According to the Daily Express, Bale has found a loophole, installing a golf simulator at the team hotel so he and the boys can still get a couple hacks in without needing to commit to a full afternoon round. Genius. Pure diabolical genius.

The island green on 17 is special

Welsh footballer @GarethBale11 is no stranger to the nerves, but they hit a little different @TPCSawgrass.

His next challenge will be today's opening round versus #USMNT at the #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/Oz87Gi40NG

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 21, 2022

“We’ve just been in the swimming pool, playing table tennis, pool and golf,” Cardiff striker Mark Harris told the Express. “Team spirit is great anyway but games like that help you. Gareth’s very good at the golf. I think most of us have had a swing and we had a go after training as we had some spare time.”

Hopefully the simulator downtime will help Bale’s Wales stay loose as they try to qualify for the knockout round in their first World Cup appearance since 1958 — the began with a 1-1 draw against the US. As the old saying going, all work and no play makes Jack, sorry, Gareth a dull boy.

You may also like:
Legends of the fall: Rory and DJ among the big winners this autumn
Take a look at the players who have qualified for the 2023 Masters — as it stands
Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup returns
LOOK: Rare Tiger Woods shirt up for auction
DP World Tour ‘Race to Dubai’ to return from 2023
LOOK: Prize money payouts at DP World Tour Championship
Rory deserves to brag after DP World Tour triumph
Rahm raises the bar with third DPWTC
How Lydia Ko returned to LPGA glory
Get your FREE November issue of Golf Digest Middle East here
All set for showdown at JGE
How Bryson dropped 20 pounds with new diet
Look DPWTC Day 3 tee times
Fitzpatrick holds upperhand as Rory roars
PGA Tour to lose long-time and loyal sponsor
How South Australia landed the LIV gig
Who needs to do what to win DP World Tour Rankings race?
Rahm slates ‘laughable’ OWGR, open to LIV Golf players earning ranking points

The post Gareth Bale reportedly installed a golf simulator at his Qatar hotel to get around Wales’ World Cup links ban appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

The Welshman finished just one shot out of a play-off at the 2001 Wales Open at Celtic Manor, the same season he graduated from the European Challenge Tour and set in motion a storied DP World Tour career.

He has since claimed three wins, sealed the winning point for Europe at the 2014 Ryder Cup and become a firm fan favourite along the way.

But it all started in Newport and the 46-year-old was delighted to be back at the 2010 Ryder Cup venue.

“It’s big because when I first started playing professionally on the DP World Tour this was one of my first invites to come down here and play and it was fantastic,” he said at Celtic Manor.

“I finished fourth and just missed a play-off by a shot in my second invite in 2001 so it’s great to come back here.

“The ball is running, it’s a bit firmer and faster, the greens are running very well, they’re holding but they’re putting great as well so they’re quite quick.

“Overall it’s in great shape, the rough is up in places, you don’t want to hit it too wide. It’s pretty fair and looking like it’s going to put up a stern test.”

History of the @CazooOpen ?#CazooOpen pic.twitter.com/Y4jTD3m1oy

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) August 3, 2022

After a spell in the doldrums at the end of the last decade, Donaldson has come roaring back to form, last season achieving his best finish on the DP World Tour Rankings since finishing fourth in 2014.

He missed the cut in his last start at The 150th Open Championship but earned his spot at St Andrews by finishing sixth at the Genesis Scottish Open and is happy with the way his game is trending.

“The Scottish Open was big, I knew I needed to play well to get in The Open,” he said. “I sadly ran out of steam at The Open, that was my fourth week in a row so it didn’t go as well as I planned.

“But the Scottish Open was fantastic, the Irish Open the week before I finished 20th so it was just building nicely, it was a good run of events and hopefully I can take that form into this week.

“I’ve just had two weeks off which was great to spend some time with the family. It was nice to have the rest, be able to go again and get ready for another big run.”

You may also like:
Get the August 2022 edition of Golf Digest Middle East FREE here in English and Arabic
Legend John Daly ‘begged’ for LIV Golf spot
Mickelson was suspended by PGA Tour in March; banned for two years
Mickelson and Dechambeau lead group of 11 LIV golfers suing PGA Tour
Adam Hadwin in trouble with wife Jessica — again
LIV Golf gives to local charities in New Jersey
Bryson DeChambeau on LIV/PGA feud and his $125m signing-on fee
What it is like to be the first woman from your country to win a title
Five players to watch at the AIG Women’s Open
Australian army target more glory in Scotland
Laura Davies’ unique return to Muirfield
Phil Mickelson becomes highest-paid athlete of 2022
WATCH: LIV Golf highlights from Bedminster
Stenson takes debut LIV Golf title at Bedminster
LIV Golf takeaways after third event in New Jersey
The Gulf Club: Latest news from the UAE and beyond up to August 2022
Crocker takes the glory at Hero Open

The post DP World Tour: Jamie Donaldson feeling good on home return to Wales for Cazoo Open appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Coleman Bentley
Like his former Tottenham Hotspur teammate Gareth Bale, Harry Kane is a bit of a golf freak. The England number nine, who calls Centurion Club in Hemel Hempstead home, made our 2018 list of Best Athlete Golfers, clocking in as a 4 handicapper on the back of his first-ever sub-par round (immediately prompting shrieks of “sandbagger!” from our very own Alex Myers.)

That feeling when you shoot under par for the first time ?? #UnderPar #OneUnder #Golf pic.twitter.com/jtXjFDdKh5

— Harry Kane (@HKane) November 12, 2018

While frankly a more meaningful milestone, Kane very nearly claimed the one for which all golfers truly pine—the ever-skittish hole-in-one—on Monday only to be denied in the most brutal fashion imaginable. Spurs fans, you might want to look away.

Is it possible to get any closer!? #HoleInOne pic.twitter.com/WszbrA2Hia

— Harry Kane (@HKane) June 24, 2019

The post Harry Kane misses hole-in-one in most gutting fashion imaginable appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Welcome to another edition of The Grind, where we’re going to have to pace ourselves if the opening week of the PGA Tour is any indication of what we’re in store for this season. There were impressive debuts on the course, impressive performances on the stage and there was Phil (still) being Phil after all these years:

TFW you've hit 15 of 54 fairways on the week. ??#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/QU1VqEthvZ

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 8, 2017

It was quite a start — and that’s before we factor in frightening wildfires, record-breaking performances across the pond and updates on two much-talked-about comebacks. Let’s catch our breaths and break it all down.

WE’RE BUYING

Defending champs: Brendan Steele made it back-to-back wins at the PGA Tour’s Safeway Open and Tyrrell Hatton did the same at the European Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. Slight edge to Hatton for getting to celebrate on the Swilcan Bridge …

Well done, guys. Now if all of last season’s winners can keep this up, I might actually do well in fantasy golf this season.

Record breakers: Tommy Fleetwood and Ross Fisher didn’t win the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but what they did at two of golf’s most historic tracks will be talked about a lot more than Hatton’s victory. Fleetwood shot 63 at Carnoustie, and Fisher shot 61 at the Old Course at St. Andrews — with both scores breaking course records. By the way, Carnoustie is hosting next year’s British Open, so based on our new horses-for-courses theory, Fleetwood is basically a lock.

John Daly: Talk about life imitating art. Daly joined Gavin DeGraw on stage to pay tribute to Tom Petty by singing along to “I Won’t Back Down” on Thursday night and then birdied his final hole on Friday to shoot 69 and make his first PGA Tour cut in two-and-a-half years.

The fist pumps. ?
The smile. ?
The crowd. ????? @PGA_JohnDaly makes his first cut on the PGA TOUR since 2015. pic.twitter.com/GsLaT1G3iT

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 7, 2017

Actually, we’re buying Daly’s entire month, from presenting a sport coat to Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, to finishing runner-up at a European Senior Tour event in France, to opening a steakhouse in Arkansas. JD seems to be hitting life harder than ever at 51.

Tiger’s comeback: Tiger Woods is back! To hitting irons. “Smooth” irons, at that:

Smooth iron shots pic.twitter.com/v9XLROZnfW

— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) October 7, 2017

Yeah, yeah, I’m getting suckered into another Tiger Woods comeback, but I can’t help myself.

Me: I'm done getting my hopes up for nothing
*Sees Tiger hitting full shots again*
Me: pic.twitter.com/Tup8vlrXCJ

— Golf Problems (@GolfProblems_) October 9, 2017

Tiger, if you’re going to break my heart again, just promise me you’ll do it quickly this time. Please?

WE’RE SELLING

O.J.’s comeback: On the first full day of the Juice being loose (again), Simpson was seen putting on a backyard green at the Las Vegas home he’s staying in:

We’re not knocking his effort — and at 70, he still has a few good years on the course — but his return to golf isn’t exactly great PR for the sport. Also, we’re pretty jealous of his backyard setup.

Phil’s fall policy: Remember a couple years ago when Phil Mickelson pushed for fall events in the wrap-around season to not count towards a person’s Ryder Cup point total? Well, that came back to bite him. Mickelson’s T-3 at the Safeway Open was his best finish since a runner-up at the 2016 British Open, but he’ll earn as many Ryder Cup points for his efforts as I did for sitting on the couch watching his efforts.

Unmarked golf balls: I’m not accusing anyone of taking advantage of the Rules of Golf, but every time something like this happens, it raises eyebrows and causes an uproar. At least, in the little world of Golf Twitter:

One of the worst #ProtectTheField examples I've ever seen. Finau 2 shots off the lead, ended up saving par from a plugged lie. pic.twitter.com/TsKHqHLrNK

— Will Gray (@WillGrayGC) October 8, 2017

It also probably only seems like it’s happening more now because people are making a point to point it out. Regardless, now that it’s become an issue, you’d think players would be even more careful about marking their golf balls — or telling opponents to do it — just to avoid this sort of controversy.

Silly penalties: This week’s “Hey, tour pros are just like us sometimes!” honor goes to David Howell, who teed off from in front of the marker. On No. 18 at the Old Course at St. Andrews. The gaffe resulted in an embarrassing two-shot penalty on one of the most famous holes in golf.

ON TAP

The PGA Tour heads to Malaysia for the CIMB Classic, AKA that event Justin Thomas wins every year.

Random tournament fact: This snake was spotted during last year’s tournament:

Last year at the CIMB Classsssssic …

?? pic.twitter.com/SlMXfvLOqR

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 9, 2017

Players better keep their heads on a swivel …

RANDOM PROP BETS OF THE WEEK

— Tiger Woods will win a major this year: 1 MILLION-to-1 odds

— Phil Mickelson will win a major this year: 100-to-1 odds

— I will have nightmares about that snake: LOCK

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

State of emergency declared as three fast-moving wildfires totaling 44,000 acres burn north of Napa, California https://t.co/OZZoeBrj5l pic.twitter.com/5XURlVTw6E

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) October 9, 2017

This was taken at Silverado Resort & Spa, which was evacuated just hours after the final round of the Safeway Open concluded. Wow. We wish the best for everyone in the area.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (TOUR PRO DIVISION)

The European Tour is up to its old tricks of creating fun videos, this time, getting Edoardo Molinari to take 500 attempts at making a hole-in-one. SPOILER ALERT: He doesn’t get it done!

How many shots would it take a pro to make a hole-in-one?

We gave @DodoMolinari 500 balls, here's what happened… pic.twitter.com/AcTwKiplYp

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) October 10, 2017

If you sense excitement from me, that’s because I’m happy to see another golfer – and a really good one, at that – get frustrated by not making a hole-in-one. It also just confirms that making an ace is 99 percent luck. Thanks, European Tour.

VIRAL VIDEO OF THE WEEK (TOUR-PRO TALENT DIVISION)

If this is really a nun, then she has the swing of an angel:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ052MvBG1v/

Talk about a potential ringer to bring to your next member-guest!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I’m sorry, but f— cancer.” – Cristie Kerr, playing with a heavy heart, after winning the LaCoste Ladies Open de France. No need to apologize, Cristie.

THIS WEEK IN DUSTIN JOHNSON-PAULINA GRETZKY WAGS PUBLIC DISPLAYS OF AFFECTION ATHLETICISM

Things got dangerous at one WAG’s 30th birthday party:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BaAWkcbhvRn/

There’s so much going on here in this quick clip from Ashley Perez’s (Pat Perez’s wife). First off, why was there a fake cake? Second, why were they sitting on it? And finally, was there really an official videographer for the occasion? Impressive.

THIS WEEK IN TOUR PROS MAKING US FEEL BAD WITH THEIR TRAINING

Apparently, normal crunches aren’t enough of a challenge for the LPGA’s Gaby Lopez:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ7yN5oA6ZK/

That’s some Rocky IV-level stuff, and it goes without saying that you probably shouldn’t try that at home. Then again, that would require you having a punching bag at home. And actually having the motivation to work out.

THIS WEEK IN CELEBRITIES PLAYING GOLF (NON-O.J. DIVISION)

Soccer star Gareth Bale has a replica of TPC Sawgrass’ par-3 17th in his backyard:

First look at Gareth Bale's replica of the signature par three, 17th at Sawgrass in his own back garden. pic.twitter.com/acXm7YmEZJ

— GOLFNEWS (@golfnewsmag) October 2, 2017

Take that, O.J.

THIS AND THAT

Justin Thomas was officially named PGA Tour Player of the Year. It seemed like a lock, but you never know with votes these days. . . . Hunter Mahan’s T-13 at the Safeway Open was his best PGA Tour finish in more than two years. Mahan’s comeback isn’t getting quite the attention of Tiger’s (or O.J.’s), but he’s got the best chance of the three when it comes to winning this season. . . . Sergio Garcia and TaylorMade Golf are splitting up after 14 years. This one’s not quite as sad as Phil and Bones breaking up. . . . And finally, congrats to co-worker Joel Beall getting married over the weekend.

The only disappointing part of the wedding was that Jerry Rice didn’t crash it.

RANDOM QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Why do wedding receptions go by so fast?

Why do playoff baseball games go by so slow?

Does that nun give golf lessons?

The post Tiger Woods’ latest tease, O.J. Simpson’s return to golf, a WAG’s scary b-day moment & an LPGA star’s intense workout appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

What is uncommon, however, is for wealthy sports stars who are obsessed with golf to build a practice area that is a replica of a signature golf hole. And that the replica they build might rival the actual golf hole their copying.

This is all a long way of saying Gareth Bale, we salute you. The Welsh football star who plays for Real Madrid has built a version of the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass that had us at first wondering if he had bought up the Stadium Course from the PGA Tour. Nope, this is at Bale’s “backyard” at his home in Wales.

First look at Gareth Bale’s replica of the signature par three, 17th at Sawgrass in his own back garden. pic.twitter.com/acXm7YmEZJ

— GOLFNEWS (@golfnewsmag) October 2, 2017

Check out the detailed railroad tracks around the green, and the tiny bunker front right, just like Pete Dye designed.

Chris Condon

OK, so Dye’s original doesn’t have a fountain to help keep stagnant water aerated. But think about it … Bale has a fountain to keep stagnant water aerated. Talk about a unique sign of Bale’s golf obsession.

Of course, look at the way the guy spends his down time during football practice.

Stu Forster

Bale warned us all that this was coming. In 2015, he told reporters that he had plans to build tributes to three of the world’s most famous golf holes. He didn’t say how much money he was going to spend, but we’re guessing it will make our eyes itch when it becomes public.

After Sawgrass’ 17th, Bale said he was going to have the par-3 eighth hole at Royal Troon (the Postage Stamp) followed by the par-4 11th hole at Augusta National.

Yes, a par 4 … in his backyard. The folks at Augusta National might be so impressed they’re let him do it.

The post Real Madrid star Gareth Bale just took the competition for best backyard golf hole to a new level appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.