After retiring from tennis, Andy Murray has taken up a new hobby: golf. Playing up to four times a week, the three-time Grand Slam champion is setting his sights on the regional qualifying for The Open Championship.
Similar to the four Grand Slam events in tennis, The Open is one of the four most distinguished events in golf. The oldest golf tournament in the world, it is packed with years upon years of history and memorable moments.
Murray, who retired after the Paris Olympics, has a keen interest in golf, openly admitting it is one of his favourite sports outside of tennis to play and watch. Since moving back to his hometown, Dunblane, he has had more time to play and with there being a variety of golf courses nearby, he finds himself regularly on the fairway.
When speaking to reporters after the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am, Murray revealed he wanted to play in the regional qualifiers for The Open, but does not have any ambition to play in the event yet due to him not being good enough to comepte.
The qualifiers are open for amateur and professional golfers with a scratch handicap – regularly getting par. It will take place across 15 different locations over the UK and Ireland, with the lucky few at the top progress to the final qualifying round, with the privilege to compete for a chance to play in The Open.
“I don’t have ambitions of playing in The Open. I want to try and play in like the regional qualifying at some stage,” Murray said. “A couple of my friends have done it and it would just be a fun thing to do if you got to the level where you’re able to do that. I would do it, but I certainly don’t think I would have any chance of qualifying for The Open. 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. Even guys that play off +2, 3 are miles off what these guys are.”
When questioned if he was thinking of taking part next summer, Murray said: “No, not next year, the following year. 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.”
It can be hard for athletes to retire, stopping the thing they have been constantly doing for decades. Despite this, it looks like Murray is regularly doing something that he enjoys and wants to build on. He has started to enter a bunch of competitions, citing his enjoyment for the game along with the competitive edge it brings, transferring his years of experience from the best tennis courts in the world to the golf course.
“I want to start playing in more competitions because I enjoy it,” Murray said. “I think one, you concentrate a bit harder, but I like the competitive side of it. That’s what I enjoy.”
It is becoming a regular trend for many tennis stars to start playing golf. Carlos Alcaraz is one of them, celebrating his US Open by swinging his racket in the form of a stereotypical golf swing. Casper Ruud has also shown his fondness for the sport, taking regular golfing holidays. Former Grand Slam champions Rafael Nadal and Ash Barty have taken up the sport in a more serious manner, even winning local tournaments in their native Spain and Australia. It is a good activity for athletes to switch off from tennis, although it is becoming something that many of them are passionately getting into.
