Andy Murray moves closer to realising golf dream as Scot swaps sports | Golf | Sport

Andy Murray, the two-time Wimbledon tennis champion, is honing his impressive golfing skills and now boasts a handicap of two – inching him closer to his dream of becoming a scratch golfer. Following his retirement from tennis, the Scottish sportsman is proving his prowess in another sport and has hinted at a possible appearance at The Open in the coming years.

Murray has participated in several Pro-Am tournaments, including the last two editions of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, and was back on the links in his native Scotland in October, playing some stunning courses. During the team championship, the 2012 US Open champion played at Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and St Andrews, where he was paired with professional golfer Eddie Pepperell.

Murray put on an outstanding performance at Carnoustie in the opening round on Thursday, scoring a birdie on the final hole. He found himself in the same group as Ryder Cup hero Tyrrell and reportedly out-drove him on some of the fairways.

The 38 year old has fond memories of playing the St Andrews’ Old Course, which last held the Open in 2022, having eagled the 18th there earlier this year. He needed just two shots to find the hole on the 357-yard par four.

Murray subsequently posted a photograph of himself and Pepperell on the iconic Swilcan Bridge at St Andrews and remarked: “What a great week up in Scotland for my first @dunhilllinks. Eddie Pepperell was not only a brilliant golfer, he was a brilliant partner to play with so huge thanks to Eddie for putting up with me and my rubbish golf.

“Cheers to everyone who came out to support a great event and braved the brutal weather! And finally I want to say a huge thanks to everyone on social media for not sharing my mishap in the bunker the other day. The empathy and sympathy you all showed me was really touching. horrible b******s!”.

Murray had previously outlined his golfing ambitions at the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am earlier this year, where he highlighted his desire to compete in one of the sport’s most prestigious tournaments.

He revealed: “I want to try and play in the regional qualifying [of The Open] at some stage.

“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.”

Regarding his planned timeline, he added: “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.”