It’s been a tremendous few weeks of golf for Scottish tennis legend Andy Murray.
The 2-time Wimbledon champion has fallen in love with golf since hanging up his racquet and he’s impressed observers with the velocity with which his handicap has dropped from 20 to single figures inside a 12 months.
In late August he ventured to St Andrews and promptly drained a sensational eagle putt from the Valley of Sin on the par-4 18th gap.
However he wasn’t even midway executed. In mid-September he made one other 18th gap eagle, this time on the par-5 nearer at Wentworth within the BMW PGA Championship.
And simply final week he performed within the Alfred Dunhill Hyperlinks Championship the place he partnered Eddie Pepperell to a prime 20 end within the staff competitors.
After his spherical at Wentworth he chatted to Golf365 about his love of golf and his ambitions to compete in Open Regional Qualifying.
Andy Murray on making the transition from tennis to golf
“I like that in golf you’ve got time in-between photographs to replicate and relax. In tennis, your coronary heart fee can get extraordinarily excessive, you play an extended level, an necessary level, and the strain builds and builds.
“For me, the onerous half about golf just isn’t in-between photographs, it’s whenever you’re standing over the ball, ensuring not too many ideas creep into your head and really simply getting the membership transferring correctly. That’s the onerous half.”
On making recreation plans as a golfer
“I maintain being advised about plotting my manner round a course. The professionals can try this and it’s nice to look at them do it within the pro-am.
“I believe it could assist newbie golfers to a sure extent, however the actuality is that we don’t at all times hit the ball the place we intend to! I can say, I need to hit it on the left aspect of the green however then it finally ends up 20 yards in the appropriate tough. The sport plan doesn’t actually assist, then!”
On enjoying with Gareth Bale
“I’ve performed with him just a few occasions socially. He’s a member at Wentworth and we message one another on a gaggle chat with one other couple of fellows. He’s been enjoying for a really very long time and I believe he performed rather a lot when he was enjoying soccer as effectively. He’s an excellent golfer. I get pleasure from enjoying with him.”
On his Open Regional Qualifying ambitions
“I don’t have ambitions of enjoying within the Open itself. However I need to play I competitions and take a look at myself as a result of I get pleasure from that. It’s the competitor in me and I’m wondering what it might be prefer to play in Regional Qualifying.
“A few my pals have executed it and it’s one thing to purpose for in an effort to get higher. I do know that I wouldn’t have any probability of truly qualifying for the Open. The distinction between scratch golfers and professionals on tour – it’s a large hole. That’s one thing else you realise enjoying within the pro-am.
“There’s nonetheless an extended technique to go regardless that I play three or 4 occasions every week. I gained’t make Regional Qualifying subsequent 12 months however perhaps in a few years time I’ll be at a stage the place I wouldn’t completely shame myself. You by no means know.”
On the distinction between a tennis crowd and a golf crowd
“Nicely, the group aren’t in peril once I’m enjoying tennis, for one factor! In tennis there have been occasions when the group grew to become a norm and others once I used it to my benefit.
“It gave me constructive power, an adrenaline rush. In golf I’m extra conscious that there are individuals watching since you would possibly do one thing embarrassing, to be sincere. I’m extra scared of golf crowds than tennis ones however that’s due to what I’d do flawed!”
On lacking tennis
“I don’t actually miss it. I drove previous Wimbledon just a few occasions in the course of the championship and thought it might be good to nonetheless be enjoying, however that was it.
“Not earlier than and never since. It’s the identical with teaching. There have been bits of it that I appreciated, however proper now I don’t need to be on the highway. I simply don’t need to do it.”
On making an eagle-2 through an extended putt from the Valley of Sin
“It was loopy. I’ve by no means holed a putt like that in my life and I’d by no means do it once more. It was like 100 ft. I’ve seen the well-known putt holed from there by Costantino Rocca within the 1995 Open. Mine was longer!
“My response, once I replicate on it, was a bit embarrassing, I used to be leaping round. I’ve by no means seen anybody try this on a golf course, until they have been successful a significant or one thing.
“I suppose, tennis gamers are naturally extra fired up once they’re competing and golfers should be extra focussed.”
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