Gareth Bale’s retirement from football has given him more time to enjoy a sport he prefers. The former Tottenham and Real Madrid and Wales star spent the day at Hoylake and duly obliged when spotted by some eager kids on the hunt for autographs.
The days of players mingling with members in the clubhouse bar after a round are long gone. These days they don’t even use the locker room to change their shoes. Local hero Matthew Jordan has bucked the trend, at least. The Hoylake member has made the effort to say hello to club colleagues after each of his three rounds here.