AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM

February 2, 2023

Gareth Bale

Pebble Beach Golf Links

Quick Quotes

Q. Joseph said you were a little nervous on the first tee. He said he was a little surprised. Were there a few nerves on the first tee today?

GARETH BALE: Yeah, for sure. I think every amateur will tell you, even though we're used to playing in front of 80,000 or more live on TV, it's a completely different sport. Like I said, outside your comfort zone and something that's just different. It's a cool experience. Lucky that I hit one of my best shots down the first fairway, which was nice.

Q. How did you come to play with Joseph?

GARETH BALE: So we met about a year ago and we signed for the same company. Just been speaking over the year. Met him last week for the first time as I haven't been playing too much golf.

Then, yeah, just looking forward to this week. I said to him last week, Let's prepare for this week. He had a great week last week. What a player. Obviously has great potential. Powerful. That putt on 18 to save par really showed what his character is like. It was a solid putt and shows he has the mentality going forward.

Q. What did you learn from his game out there that you might be able to put into your game going forward?

GARETH BALE: Completely -- it's difficult. He's a world-class player. Just watching these players play, it's, you can take things and just learn how they go about their business, how they do their process. Yeah, it's just nice to watch. Just pick up things. The demeanor and their focus is different from what we're used to, but similar to kind of my profession. We have similar traits. So fantastic playing with him today. Yeah, what a player and what a great round.

Q. Talk us through the up-and-down there on the second hole.

GARETH BALE: I was more worried how I was there in the first place. But, yeah, I guess a lot of amateurs find themselves out of position. Yeah, it was a great shot. Just tried to put it into the bank and hope for the best, like most amateurs do. It was nice to see it roll up nice and close.

Yeah, he was pretty much in for par so I was like, Oh, I'll pick it up. He made me putt it because he's like, It's going to be the greatest up-and-down. So I finished it off nicely. It was a great shot. I can't really say much more.

Q. Some fans online thought that you maybe thinned that chip. Did you do that on purpose to try to play it off the bank? Just talk us through your strategy.

GARETH BALE: So, I couldn't play it proper because there was a curb in front of me. In my practice swing I hit the curb. So I was like I have to really like dig it. I put it back in my stance and hit it into the bank. So of course there was a lot of luck involved, don't get me wrong. But, yeah, the shot that I guess I tried to play and you need a bit of luck along the way.

Q. How did your ball end up there?

GARETH BALE: That's the worrying thing. I didn't realize it was on a bit of a side slope and just kind of pushed it. The wind took it a bit more. It kicked off the bank on the side of the green and ended there. But amateurs are used to being there, so we've a lot more practice than the pros in those positions.

Q. Where does that shot rank in just all the crazy shots you had throughout your life?

GARETH BALE: Yeah, it's on TV, so I guess it's right up there. I think straight away it was, I asked the cameraman, I was like, I walked up and said, Did you get that? He was like, I did. And I was like, Yes. It was a good laugh.

It was a fun day. Looking forward to two more fun days with an amazing group of people like we had today.

Q. Your first time here. You get thrown into Spyglass, the toughest course. What was going through your mind?

GARETH BALE: No, just trying to enjoy the day. Trying to play as good as I can. Try and help Joseph in terms of the team event. Get out of his way when he needs to be serious to finish his putt. Just an enjoyable experience.

Yeah, it's mind blowing how good this tournament is set up. The organizers deserve all the credit, because it is run impeccably and it's a great laugh.