The Wales football legend has a scratch handicap but had a moment to forget at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

He might be a whizz on the golf course, but even Gareth Bale has the odd off day.

The Wales football legend has a long-standing passion for golf, with the five-time Champions League winner coming under fire for the amount of time he spent on the fairways during his spell with Real Madrid. After hanging up his boots in 2023, he has spent even more time honing his skills on the course, cutting his handicap from the already-impressive "three or four mark" to scratch.

That means he can typically play to the course rating on any golf course - but Bale got off to a rough start when teeing off at the 17th hole at the iconic St Andrews this week.

The 37-year-old is taking part in the annual Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Pro-Am, with the competition seeing professional golfers team up with amateur players and a host of famous faces.

With his scratch handicap, Bale is one of the strongest celebrities in the competition, but he and partner Marcus Armitage were left stranded way down the table after finishing the opening round on -5.

Disaster struck when the former Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur star teed off at the penultimate hole, as his drive veered off course and landed on top of a tented roof in the beer garden of The Jigger pub, which overlooks the 17th Road Hole .

The beer garden was full of punters and the ball nearly ended up in someone's drink as it rolled off the tent before bouncing off a table and on to the grass. While thankfully nobody was hurt, pub-goers reacted in surprise as they realised how close they came to being hit.

"This is the tee at 17 for Gareth Bale," said the DP World Tour commentator. "The shot they all look forward to, albeit with a bit of trepidation." As the ball landed in the pub, they added: "Ohh, it's in someone's pint!"

Bale is not the only ex-footballer taking part in this year's competition, with former Liverpool, Newcastle United and Brighton star James Milner among the high-fliers after he and partner Sean Crocker finished the opening round on -10.

Netherlands legend Ruud Gullit is paired with Charles Howell III, while several England cricket heroes - including Lord Ian Botham, Kevin Pietersen, Michael Vaughan and Allan Lamb - are also involved.

Representatives from other sports include Olympic legend Sir Steve Redgrave, former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick and horse racing icon AP McCoy.

Former Boyzone singer Ronan Keating, Genesis founder Mike Rutherford and Linkin Park guitarist Dave Farrell are all representing the world of music, as is Huey Lewis - who played in the very first edition of the competition in 2001.

Piers Morgan is paired with Matthew Jordan, while Dragons Den star Peter Jones is taking part alongside professional partner James Morrison.

Legendary actor Bill Murray was also due to take part again but had to pull out due to "unforeseen scheduling commitments".