Andy Murray has revealed he regrets not playing more golf during his tennis career as he targets playing Open regional qualifying in 2027. The former world No.1 finished the BMW PGA pro-am at Wentworth on Wednesday by eagling the 18th after hitting a seven-wood to nine feet.
The Scot’s team only finished 16 out of the 18 morning starters despite playing with defending champion Billy Horschel, Teddy Sheringham and Gareth Bale. Murray said of the Welshman: “He hits the ball an absolute mile. He has been playing a long time. Apparently he played a lot when he played football as well!”
But the double Wimbledon champion, who skipped this year’s Grand Slam and is now playing golf four times a week, is making up for lost time after lowering his handicap to two before making his debut at the Alfred Dunhill Links next month.
“I was over in Ireland yesterday for a couple of days – I played Ardglass and County Down. I am just enjoying getting to play amazing places.
“I played the Old Course last month and eagled the 18th. For me that was crazy. I know that last hole was good but that putt I made at St Andrews – I have never holed a putt like that in my life and I might never do it again. It was 100 feet. It was pretty cool. I could do with holing a few of them at the Dunhill.
“It is a kind of regret during my tennis career, we would go to amazing cities – Melbourne has got great golf courses – and never played.
“I don’t have ambitions of playing in the Open. I want to try and play the regional qualifying at some stage. Not next year, maybe the following year. I am hoping that in a couple of years’ time, I will be at a level where I won’t totally disgrace myself, but you never know.
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“A couple of my friends have done it. It would be a fun thing to do. If you got to the level to do that, I would do it but I certainly don’t think I would have any chance of qualifying for the Open.
“I am fully aware how good the players who play in those events are and how good the pros are in comparison to amateurs, even the guys who play off plus two or three are miles off the tour pros.
“That event aside, I want to start playing in more competitions because I enjoy it. Playing the Dunhill Links will be fun. I just want to play more competitions generally because you concentrate a bit harder and the competitive side, I do enjoy.”
Murray was in good form off the West Course at Wentworth as well as on it. Asked about the main difference between playing tennis and golf, the double Olympic champion smiled: “Well the crowd aren’t in danger when I play tennis. That is for one.
“When I play tennis, by the end I wasn’t aware of there being a crowd. It was just the norm. Whereas now playing golf, I am very aware that there are a lot of people watching because you can do something embarrassing. So you are aware that there are a lot of people there. I felt I used the crowd in tennis to my advantage, and they gave me positive nerves and an adrenaline rush, whereas here it is more fearful, where people are watching.”
Murray, now 38, retired from tennis after the Paris Olympics but then worked as coach for fellow superstar Novak Djokovic from November to May. But the Scot was not at Wimbledon this year – and hardly missed it.
“The only time I went two days before I was doing something for Yonex and they have a house right behind Wimbledon and I drove past Wimbledon on my way there and I was like: ‘It would be nice to be playing’,” he recalled. “That was it – the only time. I don’t hit balls anymore. I will hit at home with my wife or kids but apart from that, nothing
“Am I waiting for someone to call and ask me to coach them? No, no. Obviously with Novak I did it for a period and it was great experience and it was a unique opportunity to do it but there are certain things about the job. If you want to do it well, you need to spend time on the road.
“If it is a British player that is London-based, it becomes easier because the off weeks, at least you are close to home. But if it is a player who lives elsewhere, it means a lot of time away from the family and I have no interest in doing that just now because I don’t want to be away from them
“I think in the future I would probably do it again – it is not like I hated it so much that I wouldn’t do it. There were bits of it that I liked but for now I just don’t want to be on the road and I don’t want to do it.”