From sharing their passion for golf, first-tee nerves and, for some, adapting to life after illustrious careers, stars of the sports and film industry shared the limelight alongside the best of the DP World Tour at the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am.
Among those involved at Wentworth Club were tennis great Andy Murray, England men’s Test cricket captain Ben Stokes, former Tottenham and Real Madrid footballer Gareth Bale and Spider-Man actor Tom Holland.
What united all four was their respect for how the leading golfers contend with the pressures of competing in such an unforgiving and relentless sport.
“Their [profession] is all about numbers,” Holland told former professional golfer turned presenter and commentator Nick Dougherty.
“There are no pictures on a scorecard. The pressure they are under…
“I have been nervous for this for three days, and this is just a bit of fun! But if your house was on the line, you’re not in the top ten and you’re grinding that is a tough way to make a living.”
While Holland plays off an impressive 2.9 handicap index, ex-Wales international Bale, no stranger to the world of golf since his retirement last year, was playing off scratch.
Bale is an ambassador for The R&A and has also linked up with Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry to promote his Underrated golf tour.
Last weekend saw the third annual Gareth Bale Festival of Sport take place, with children from underrepresented communities given the chance to try sports, including golf, and Bale is happy to play his part in promoting opportunities for young people.
“It’s kind of my duty to also give back," he said. "Football has a lot of funding, momentum behind it, whereas golf it is a little bit more difficult to get into it.
"It’s just [about] broadening the horizons for every walk of life to try and play the sport.”
Murray was arguably the stand-out name on Wednesday as he took part in the star-studded curtain raiser to the BMW PGA Championship.
Playing alongside countryman Robert MacIntyre, the two-time Wimbledon singles champion spoke about the importance of role models in encouraging the next generation of stars.
“To see people from where you are from growing up achieve things on a world stage matters to young kids,” Murray said. “It gives you someone to root for and that it is a possibility.”
The third Rolex Series event of the season also saw the return of the popular Green Room, with several of the celebrities taking their place in the yellow seat to reflect on taking part.
Among those was Stokes, who shared the fairways with European Ryder Cup-winning captain Luke Donald.
Five years on from his first BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am appearance, the all-rounder admitted his nerves were far less this time around.
While used to the pressure of elite competition, how did standing on the first tee compare with batting in a World Cup final for Stokes?
“It’s a completely different feeling," he said. "I am so used to walking out in front of a lot of people playing cricket whereas standing on a tee box in front of a few hundred people is a completely different feeling.
“I was a little bit shaky, a little bit jelly but I was glad that I hit a good one [a drive].”
