Four Brighton & Hove Albion players are likely to be amongst the most avid watchers of the 2022 Masters this week if their recent exploits at West Hove Golf Club are anything to go by.
Lewis Dunk and Adam Lallana went head-to-head with Shane Duffy and Pascal Gross in three challenges as they battled to come out on top in the Betway Golf Challenge.
The quartet are in good company when it comes to footballers playing golf, with many players past and present becoming pretty adept at playing the sport.
Read on as we look at four footballers who shine at golf, starting with one who some fans think has already taken up the sport permanently.
Gareth Bale
When Gareth Bale joined Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 in the most expensive football transfer of the time, it was widely anticipated that he would go on to establish himself as an all-time great.
While Bale has won plenty of silverware with the Spanish giants, his lackadaisical attitude to life at the club has not endeared him to their fans.
Celebrating Wales’ qualification for the 2020 European Championships in front of a flag that stated – ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid. In that order’ did little to quell their angst.
With a handicap of four, it does appear that the man nicknamed ‘The Golfer’ in the Madrid dressing room has spent a little too much time on the golf course.
Lee Sharpe
The former Manchester United and England star is another player whose football career falls into the ‘unfulfilled potential’ category.
Since hanging up his boots Sharpe has successfully switched to golf, with his handicap currently hovering just above scratch.
Sharpe is a regular at Moortown Golf Club in Leeds, and he has set his sights on becoming a permanent fixture on the Legends Tour for over 50s.
With Major winners and former Ryder Cup captains in the line-up, this would be a massive achievement for Sharpe.
Harry Kane
Not content with being a prolific goalscorer for Tottenham and England, Kane is also extremely adept with a golf club in his hand.
Kane plays off a handicap of four and shot his first under par round at The Grove Golf Course in Hertfordshire in 2018.
The England captain’s short game was reportedly better than Bale’s although that may have changed given the amount of practice the Welshman has been putting in.
Kane had the opportunity to test his skills against Tommy Fleetwood last year, but the golf professional came out on top in their challenge.
Andriy Shevchenko
Shevchenko was so confident in his ability that he entered the Kharkov Superior Cup in his native Ukraine in 2013, but he found the standard a little too hot to handle.
He was not deterred by the experience and has been a regular visitor to Wentworth Golf Course since playing in that tournament.
The 45-year-old also competes sporadically on the pro-am golf circuit in Europe.