Rory McIlroy gives Gareth Bale swing secrets as football icon makes gym confession

Rory McIlroy has handed out swing advice to football legend Gareth Bale during the Wentworth celebrity Pro-Am at the BMW PGA Championship.

The world of football and golf collided when Northern Irish ace McIlroy was caught on camera handing out tips to five-time Champions League winner Bale.

Despite a hefty crowd watching the pair chat, McIlroy was happy to part with knowledge about his swing to the ex-Real Madrid star.

On the best practice for teeing off, McIlroy explained: “When I work on my swing and if I’ve got swing thoughts going into a tournament, I’ll start losing awareness of the target.

“You make this [pointing to his hands] the important part, where the important part is actually [pointing towards the course in front of him].

“It’s hard to separate, it’s hard to leave it on the range and just go and play.”

The two continued their talk while walking around the course, with McIlroy later adding: “My peak philosophy is my golf swing is two feet before impact.

“So I would lose speed coming in at the ball, because I wasn’t strong enough to hold it. So I did a lot of work on that.”

Bale, keen to absorb all the information, chimed in with: “Sounds similar to mine a little bit. I always lose my balance, I don’t know if I can hold it enough.

“To be fair, I haven’t been in the gym at all during football. Because you’re training so much, but now to try and hold it.”

It’s safe to say McIlroy, a beloved football fan, looked much more in his element walking and talking with Bale, than he did during an awkward encounter with actor Tom Holland at the same event.

McIlroy was reaching into his golf bag when the Spiderman star interrupted him and asked for a handshake.

The actor said: “Hello mate, sorry I’m Tom.”

A rather confused McIlroy, likely unsure who the movie megastar actually is, replied, “Hi Tom, how are you doing?”

All ended well in the end though, with McIlroy and Holland sharing a few swings on the range before heading out on the course.

Other notable figures involved in the event were former English cricket duo Stuart Broad and James Anderson, as well as recently retired tennis ace Andy Murray.

As for the pros, McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose were all in action at Wentworth.