Gareth Bale to participate in PGA Tour event after football retirement

Former Wales captain Gareth Bale said he would take part in a PGA Tour event after retiring from football on January 9.

Bale declared he would participate in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California in February.

The 33-year-old retired earlier this month as Wales' most-capped male player and record goal-scorer. He is arguably the best footballer to represent Wales, having won the Champions League five times with Real Madrid.

He took to Instagram to announce that he will be taking part in the event.

"Delighted to announce I will be playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am at the start of next month! Let's go," he wrote.

"I move on with anticipation to the next stage of my life. A time of change and transition, an opportunity for a new adventure," the ex-winger had said earlier in his retirement post.

Bale had a strained relationship with the Spanish powerhouses after being photographed holding a banner reading "Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order" while representing his nation abroad in 2019.

He led Wales to its first World Cup appearance since 1958 in Qatar in 2022. He served as his nation's talisman as they advanced to the 2016 and 2020 Euros.

At Pebble Beach, 156 amateurs and 156 pros will compete, including US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick, world no. 5 Patrick Cantlay, and three-time major champion Jordan Spieth.