WENTWORTH — Gareth Bale headlined a field of former footballers at the BMW PGA Championship’s Celebrity Pro-Am on Wednesday, where Rory McIlroy carded a 12-under 60 in the same event. Bale, the former Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur forward who plays off a handicap of 1.1, teed up alongside Ludvig Åberg, cricket icon Brian Lara and former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart. Their group finished 15th in the Pro-Am with a combined score of 23 under par.
The Welshman was joined in the field by Chelsea greats John Terry and Eden Hazard, as well as Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler.
Bale backs Spurs to come good
Speaking to Sky Sports News before his tee time, Bale backed Tottenham Hotspur and head coach Roberto De Zerbi to improve following a mixed period of form. “Sometimes it takes a bit of time to get them to settle in,” Bale said. “The manager has shown he is capable of playing good football.
A lot of new signings and hopefully they’ll come good, given some time.” Bale said Spurs can “hopefully” challenge for a place in Europe next season, but added they now “have the players” that can help take the team to the next level.
McIlroy dazzles with 60
McIlroy, who explained during his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday that he was “still working on elements of his swing,” produced a stunning round during Wednesday’s Pro-Am. The Pro-Am does not register scores worse than par, and McIlroy made bogey on the 16th, so the round was not an official tournament score. His lowest score at the BMW PGA Championship is a 65, and his best-ever score at a DP World Tour event is a 62, made at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Championship.
Fresh off a tied-41st finish at the Amgen Irish Open, McIlroy carded a birdie on the third and an eagle on the fourth hole, before following up with eight consecutive birdies. “Rory McIlroy was incredible; he was 10-under through 11,” Sky Sports Cricket’s Stuart Broad said.
“He didn’t miss any putts, and I was joking with him, saying: ‘He’s got to wear the same clothes tomorrow, same ball’. If he wants us to walk around with him, he’s more than welcome! He looked in the zone on that front nine.
Very calm, relaxed.” McIlroy’s team, which included former Great Britain hockey player Sam Quek, Broad and F1 mechanic Calum Nicholas, won the morning Pro-Am competition by seven strokes. The afternoon session finished tied, with JJ Spaun’s team, featuring Amir Karimpour, Romain Peugeot and Kris Adams, tying Eugenio Chacarra’s team, which included Chris Hawkins, Darren Hall and Alex Bentley, at 36 under par.
Hart reflects on Manchester derby
Hart, reflecting on the Manchester derby the previous weekend, branded City’s performance “exceptional” and backed them to take Arsenal the distance in the Premier League title race. “I think it was such a strange game,” Hart told Sky Sports News. “I don’t think Haaland’s goal should have stood, but their performance was exceptional.
It was a really important result to start the season.” McLaren F1 CEO Zak Brown also teed up in the Pro-Am, playing alongside European Ryder Cup hero Justin Rose, who switched to McLaren golf clubs earlier in the season; their team finished fifth in the afternoon session. Brown was supported by McLaren driver Lando Norris, who said: “I have got to support my boss [Zak Brown], when you want something, you’ve got to give something back in return.
I’ll give him some support and advice. He hit a good tee shot, which I was annoyed by. I wanted him to hit it out of bounds…” Live coverage of the BMW PGA Championship begins Thursday from 7.30am on Sky Sports Golf.
