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Passes to the Masters are some of the most expensive tickets in sports. But with fans barred from Augusta National Golf Club and other venues this year, many resellers are under pressure. More
GARETH BALE’S imminent return to Tottenham will enable the winger to enjoy his replica of Sawgrass’ iconic 17th hole built in his back garden in Wales.
The 31-year-old – who is closing in on a loan move to Spurs after seven years at Real Madrid – is known to be huge lover of golf.
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This is how Gareth Bale expects his replica of Sawgrass’ 17th hole to look likeCredit: Twitter @golfnewsmag
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Gareth Bale is a huge fan of golf, but has taken this to another levelCredit: Rex Features
Back in 2015, the former Southampton man set out plans to build three replica holes from the world’s most famous golf courses.
Sawgrass would be followed by the famous Postage Stamp at Royal Troon and then the tricky 11th at Augusta National.
With one down and two to go, Bale is on the way to having his own mini-course just a drive away from his base in Tottenham.
Sawgrass is renowned for being one of the trickiest holes on the circuit as it is surrounded by water and is a par 3.
And he will have some time now to sharpen up his golf skills having arrived back in Blighty ahead of a season-long loan deal in North London.
Spurs opted against an £18.5million move and instead settled for a loan transfer, with the Premier League side set to pay just 50 per cent of his wages.
Having been frozen out by Zinedine Zidane for so long, Spurs have some fears over his fitness with just 215 minutes of action for club and country since February.
It’s thought Bale could take as long as FOUR WEEKS to get up to speed and match-readiness.
Bale gave the thumbs up as he arrived at Spurs’ training ground
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Wales international Bale will soon be lining his own shots up in the back gardenCredit: Rex Features
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The ex-Southampton man posed for a selfie as he jumped into a car en route to Spurs
Bale will be joined by his Real team-mate Sergio Reguilon at Spurs, and with the club having already brought in Matt Doherty, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Joe Hart this summer, Jose Mourinho has stated his squad is too big.
He said: “To be honest, I don’t like the number of players I have at the moment in my squad.
“It’s very, very difficult to manage in every aspect of my job. Very, very difficult to manage this situation. Too many players.”
Gareth Bale arrives at Tottenham training centre for transfer talks More
GARETH BALE may be keeping himself safe from coronavirus ahead of the new season… but that will not stop him playing his beloved golf.
The Real Madrid forward, 31, took to his Instagram story on Tuesday night to show his 43.1million followers how he’s getting his golfing fix.
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Gareth Bale took to Instagram to show his followers his game of PGA Tour 2K21Credit: Instagram
Bale uploaded a video of his own custom player – complete with man bun, a sky blue polo and pale trousers – chipping in from the edge of the green on PGA Tour 2K21.
His Welsh character was already -2 through three holes before the neat pitch from 20 yards secured another birdie.
Bale famously spends plenty of time on the course honing his skills – even when his team-mates crashed out of the Champions League – and poses in training photos as if lining up an 8-iron.
In his grand estate in Glamorgan, Wales he built a three-hole golf course that are replicas of the 12th at Augusta, Royal Troon’s Postage Stamp and the tricky par-three 17th at Sawgrass.
The winger came under fire for celebrating a Wales win by holding up a ‘Wales. Golf. Madrid. In That Order’ banner.
And the popular golf video game – available from the official 2K website for £49.99 – is clearly keeping Bale entertained as he limits social contact with the new campaign getting underway.
Real Madrid begin their LaLiga title defence against Real Sociedad on September 20.
However their pre-season friendly with Rayo Vallecano – scheduled for Wednesday – was scrapped as the Segunda Division side awaited a coronavirus test result for one of their players.
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Bale has a three-hole course on his estate back home in Wales so he can hone his skills
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The winger has often been criticised for seemingly prioritising golf over his football
But Bale, who featured for just a combined 100 minutes following the season restart last term, is still unsure where his future lies.
Despite being frozen out by Real boss Zinedine Zidane, he featured for Wales in the Nations League wins over Finland and Bulgaria.
And the ex-Tottenham star says he feels more appreciated with Ryan Giggs’ men than the torment he is suffering at the Bernabeu – and would be open to a Premier League return.
Bale said: “It’s one of those situations if those options arise it’s something I would look at, for sure. We’ll see what happens.
The decision [over a transfer] is in Real Madrid’s hands. They make things very difficult to be honest.
Gareth Bale
“We have plenty of time in this transfer window and I guess a couple of others as well. Time will tell.
“It’s not really in my hands, the decision is in Real Madrid’s hands. They make things very difficult to be honest.
“Whatever goes on at Madrid doesn’t really affect me. Everyone knows how passionate I am to play for Wales and how much I love coming away with Wales.
“When I come here I’m very happy, comfortable and feel welcomed. It’s nice to be back at a place where you are a little bit more appreciated and supported by your fans no matter what.
“I come here excited to play football and motivated to do well and get back to playing football where I belong.”
Inside Bale’s millionaire lifestyle in Madrid, with a £6.5m home, £230,000 Ferrari and golf on his doorstep More
BEING one of the most well known sporting icons on the planet is tiring work.
But rather than sleep all night, Cristiano Ronaldo instead takes FIVE naps a day while Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson snoozes for just four hours to keep himself going.
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Cristiano Ronaldo takes FIVE naps-a-day
Earlier this month, it emerged Juventus superstar Ronaldo, 35, grabs 40 winks five times each day and sleeps in the foetal position.
And here SunSport can reveal the different sleep patterns of several other sporting icons from across the globe and how many hours of ‘Zzz’ time they get, according to Online Mattress Review.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – 4 hours
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The Rock survives on just four hours sleep every nightCredit: Getty – Contributor
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The WWE icon turned movie star hits the sack for just four hours-a-night.
At 48, Hawaiian born Johnson clocks off between midnight and is up and about again at 4am.
Presumably to work out at least 25 times a day to maintain his impressive physique.
Muhammad Ali – 6.5 hours
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Muhammad Ali was a religious man and slept for 6.5 hours after dinner and prayers
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The greatest boxer of all time put many opponents to sleep in his time and would wind down between 10pm and 4:30am.
As a devout Muslim, much of his time would be split between prayer and training.
And his evening routine would include a walk after dinner, a quick wash, prayers and short stint in front of the TV before he dozed off.
Serena Williams – 7 hours
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Serena Williams clocks up a solid seven hours of sleep after socialising and work
You do not need hawk eye to tell when Serena is out for the count but we can neither confirm or deny whether her snoring makes a racket.
The tennis sensation takes a solid seven hour sleep between midnight and 7am each day after a post-dinner routine of socialising and work.
The 38-year-old former world number one is also a mum of a young daughter so her slumbers are no doubt interrupted by the littl’un every now and then.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 7.5 hours
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Ronaldo sleeps in the fetal position to stay in top shape aged 35
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Ronaldo has perhaps the oddest routine of all the big stars.
Rather than one lump of rest at the end of each day like most of us, Ronnie reportedly prefers to take short naps of an hour-and-a-half each time throughout the day.
After dinner, he relaxes with his friends before a swim at 10pm.
He then takes one of his signature naps until midnight and relaxes until another short burst of sleep from around 3am before waking up for the day.
Ronda Rousey – 8 hours
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MMA star Rousey does not mess around when it comes to getting the right amount of rest
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MMA and WWE star Rousey’s routine seems pretty standard.
Eight hours between midnight and 8am.
Nice and simple.
Tiger Woods – 8.5 hours
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Tiger Woods – perhaps the greatest golfer in history – spends more than a third of his day asleep
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Woods is generally considered the best golfer of all time.
And to maintain such high levels, the superstar spends eight and a half hours dreaming of sinking putts and splitting fairways.
He snoozes from 10pm to 6:30am – proving the early birdie really does catch the worm.
Tom Brady – 9 hours
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Tom Brady is widely considered the best quarter-back ever to play American Football and he does not compromise when it comes to rest
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Like Woods, Brady is considered the greatest ever in his field.
The former New England Patriots quarter-back is revered in across the world for his sustained and unrivalled talent.
And the 42-year-old – who is still playing for the Tampa Bay Bucacaneers – makes sure he touches down to sleep for nine hours each day between 8:30pm and 5:30am.
Stephen Curry – 9 hours
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NBA star Stephen Curry is one of the longest sleepers on the list with a solid nine hours
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Basketball star Stephen Curry is another record breaker who is set to go down in the NBA history books.
The Golden State Warriors point guard is another who does not take rest lightly – opting to hit the hay for nine hours between 11pm and 8am every day.
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