Gareth Bale squandered an opportunity to pocket $10million (£7.3m) at the Icon Series golf tournament in Bangkok over the weekend, with his hole-in-one attempt going wildly astray.
The 36-year-old former Real Madrid winger, now a scratch golfer who regularly takes to the fairways, was competing at Reignwood alongside numerous other retired footballers.
Rather than finding the cup for the jackpot prize, Bale's wayward effort sailed off target and struck an unfortunate spectator seated in the stands.
The Welshman could only manage a wry grin as both fans and the cameraman scrambled to take cover from the errant ball.
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The day deteriorated further for Bale as Team World, featuring Dwight Yorke who had produced a "miracle" shot earlier in the week, suffered a heartbreaking one-point loss to Team England.
The final scoreline read 20-19 in favour of the English side.
Bale lined up alongside an impressive roster of footballing legends for the competition, with David Ginola, Ruud Gullit and Gianfranco Zola among his Team World colleagues.
Gareth Bale's shot soared towards a fan
|BBC
Despite the collective star power assembled, the international contingent could not overcome their opponents, falling agonisingly short in what proved a closely contested affair throughout the tournament.
In his individual contest, Bale was paired against Jimmy Bullard, the former Fulham and Wigan Athletic midfielder.
The Welsh star found himself in considerable difficulty during the match, trailing by four holes at one stage.
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Gareth Bale competed in the golf tournament over the weekend
|BBC
However, Bale mounted an impressive fightback to level the contest and secure a draw against his English opponent.
Unfortunately for the retired footballer, his personal recovery proved insufficient to alter the overall outcome.
The single point he salvaged from his battle with Bullard was not enough to swing the team result, with Team World ultimately falling just short in their bid to defeat Team England.
Beyond the tournament action, Bale spoke of his ambitions to see golf's oldest major championship staged in his home nation.
Gareth Bale retired from football in 2023
| PA"I'd love for The Open to come to Wales. 100 per cent," he said.
The former Wales captain highlighted Royal Porthcawl as the ideal venue, noting the course has previously hosted both the Senior Open and Women's Open.
"It's definitely one of the best links courses in the world. And I definitely think it's of a major championship standard," Bale added.
He described bringing The Open to Welsh soil as something that "would be incredible" and "a massive feat for Wales."