Rory McIlroy shares his swing secrets with Gareth Bale as football icon makes gym confession

Rory McIlroy gave football legend Gareth Bale some swing tips during the Wentworth Celebrity Pro-Am at the BMW PGA Championship.

The worlds of football and golf collided when Northern Irish ace McIlroy was filmed giving advice to five-time Champions League winner Bale.

Despite a large crowd watching the two men's conversation, McIlroy was happy to share his knowledge about his transfer with the former Real Madrid star.

On best practice for the tee, McIlroy explained: “When I'm working on my swing and I'm thinking about my swing before a tournament, I start to lose awareness of the target.

“You do this [pointing to his hands] the important part, where the important part actually is [pointing towards the course in front of him].

“It’s hard to part with him, it’s hard to leave him on the field and just go play.”

The two men continued their conversation as they strolled the course, with McIlroy later adding: “My top philosophy is that my golf swing is two feet before impact.

“So I was losing speed when I got to the ball because I wasn't strong enough to hold it. So I worked a lot on that.”

Bale, eager to absorb all the information, added: “It's a bit like mine. I'm always losing my balance, I don't know if I can keep it enough.

“To be honest, I didn't go to the gym at all during the football match. Because we train a lot, but now we have to try to keep going.”

It's safe to say that McIlroy, a huge football fan, seemed much more in his element walking and talking with Bale than he did during an awkward encounter with actor Tom Holland at the same event.

McIlroy was rummaging through his golf bag when the Spiderman star interrupted him and asked for a handshake.

The actor said: “Hey mate, sorry, I'm Tom.”

McIlroy, rather confused, probably not knowing who the movie megastar really was, replied: “Hi Tom, how are you?”

But it all worked out in the end, with McIlroy and Holland sharing a few swings on the driving range before heading out onto the course.

Other notable figures involved in the event included former England cricket duo Stuart Broad and James Anderson, as well as recently retired tennis ace Andy Murray.

On the pro side, McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose were all in action at Wentworth.