The celebrated three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray has gone bolder. These days, he’s concentrating on golf and putting in the hours to earn his way into The Open Championship, golf’s oldest major. Now 38 years old and recently retired after last year’s Paris Olympics, Murray has been dedicating time to enhance his golf game since ending his illustrious tennis career. Retiring his playing handicap of two, he plans to bring this handicap down to scratch in the coming years.
Most recently, Murray has declared his intention to try to qualify through regional qualifying for The Open Championship. Yet he was quite clear that he would not be going again next year. Partly for that reason, instead, he plans to allow himself more time and will focus on trying to qualify regionally the year after next.
I will never dream of being a competitor in The Open. Above all, I want to have a go at regional qualifying in the not-too-distant future. Recently, we’ve heard Murray’s deep yearning to play on a bigger stage. Yet for all his dazzling talent, he is refreshingly self-aware about what he can do right now.
The ex-tennis great takes private golf lessons several times a week. He even made an eagle on the 18th hole in the Wentworth pro-am ahead of that week’s BMW PGA Championship. This is no small feat and it’s a testament to his perseverance and level of dedication to the game of golf.
Despite his significant achievements in tennis, Murray recognizes the considerable gap between his golfing proficiency and that of professional players. “I’m fully aware of how good the players that play in those events are and how good the pros are in comparison to amateurs,” he remarked. He admitted that even golfers with a +2 or +3 handicap are much better than he is, that he is just awful.
Murray’s ambition is clear: he hopes to reach a standard where he can compete without feeling out of place. “In a couple of years’ time, I think, well, I’m hoping I’ll be at a level where I won’t totally disgrace myself, but you never know,” he shared, indicating both optimism and humility regarding his golfing journey.
The transition from tennis to golf represents an exciting new chapter in Murray’s life. His competitive spirit is best displayed by his mindset to succeed at a new sport. He’s as quick to tackle challenges outside the tennis court. He’s obviously serious about trying to improve and take his game to the next level. Notably, it was announced that eight-time major champion Tom Watson would serve as U.S.
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