I watched Andy Murray play golf at Wentworth and scratch aim is definite possibility

Early starts are common practice for this correspondent when attending events, but setting my alarm for 5.50am so that I could catch the first spectator shuttle bus from Ascot Racecourse to Wentworth Club to watch a pro-am was definitely a first in a lengthy career.

It had been a required duty, though, from the moment it had been announced in the build up to the BMW PGA Championship that the recently-retired Andy Murray would be teeing up in this particular pro-am at the Surrey venue and, in addition, be playing alongside Bob MacIntyre.

On an overcast morning, the Scottish duo were joined in a group teeing off on the 18th hole on the West Course by cricket player Jimmy Anderson and the Strictly Come Dancing judge, Anton du Beke, and, even at 8am, it quickly became evident that one of the quartet likes the limelight more than the others.

Andy Murray celebrates holing a putt with a fist pump in the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am at Wentworth. Picture: Ross Kinniard/Getty Images | Getty Images

“He danced from the 18th tee all the way back around to the 17th green. He was full of life,” said MacIntyre, speaking at the end of the round, of charismatic character du Beke, while also quipping that there was “no chance” of him ever feeling as chirpy at that time of the day.

While de Beke, who danced with Murray’s mum Judy on Strictly, plays off one and Anderson is off 1.8, most eyes were on seven-handicapper Murray to see if there was indeed any substance to his belief that he can get down to scratch after bringing down the curtain on his glittering tennis career.

“A bit of a runner” was Murray’s own description of his opening tee shot and, after having to yell “Fore” as his drive at the next hole was leaked to the right, it became evident that his switch from one sport to another would be a theme for gags from outside the ropes. “Nil” replied one spectator to that while another shouted “second serve” following one mis-hit shot.

“Oh, wow” proclaimed Murray himself after taking a divot with a practice swing before celebrating a lovely up and down from a front greenside bunker at the par-4 first with a fist pump then, after all three amateurs had made birdie-2s off MacIntyre’s tee shot at the second, feeling equally pleased with himself repeating that feat at the long fourth. “Yeah, I've not lost that,” he admitted with a smile afterwards.

As the crowd following the group got bigger and bigger, Murray hit his worst shot of the day at the eighth, ending up wet with his approach from around 85 yards. Admitting shots in the 50-100 yard range are the ones he needs to work on, he confessed: “Me and Jimmy were like ‘I hate these shots’ and both of us hit it right in the middle of the water completely fat!”

In fairness, that wasn’t an indication of how he hits a golf ball and, by the end of the round, his driving - MacIntyre estimated his compatriot had been hitting it around 270 yards - was starting to look just as impressive as his short game. 

Bob MacIntyre said it had been a “dream come true” to spend some time with Andy Murray at Wentworth Club in the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am. Picture: Warren Little/Getty Images | Getty Images

“It was good - a brilliant experience for me,” admitted Murray, though, on this occasion, there was to be no trophy as the quartet posted a 16-under-par total - 13 shots behind the winners - in the Tour Scramble format where, after picking the best drive, all the players then play their own ball and all four scores count if better than par.

“To be out there with one of the best in the world for me, it was brilliant. I was pretty nervous. I couldn't really feel my arms and legs. I didn't really hit any balls on the range beforehand and, yeah, I was feeling it. But it got better. It got better as the round went on.”

Murray may have won three Grand Slam titles, but, as both defending BMW PGA champion Ryan Fox and Ryder Cup star Justin Rose had predicted on Tuesday, this was different to anything he’d experienced on a tennis court.

“It's a different sort of nerves because you are comfortable in the sort of tennis environment,” he admitted. “I'm not thinking I'm going to walk out on the tennis court and forget how to hit the ball. You just want to perform well. Whereas here, you're sort of nervous as there's people standing like five metres away from where I'm driving, and I'm like, I'm useless at this game.”

Not so, according to MacIntyre. “He'll be at scratch in no time,” predicted the Genesis Scottish Open champion. “He played when he was younger, but then obviously through his tennis career, he didn't play as much. But he did say he was practising a hell of a lot in the lead up to this, and, for someone that’s not really played much, I thought he was good.”

MacIntyre will be teaming up with his dad Dougie in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Scottish soil in a fortnight’s time and, on the back of this appearance clearly having attracted lots of interest, is there a possibility that Murray might also be teeing it up at Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and St Andrews?

“Look, I really enjoy playing and obviously now got lots of free time to do it,” he said in reply to being asked if he wanted more of this sort of experience.

For MacIntyre, meanwhile, playing with a “sporting idol” had been a “dream come true” after being glued to the TV when his fellow Scot was winning a brace of Wimbledon titles. Though in a different sport, the Oban man is now flying the Saltire on a global stage and is being inspired by Murray as he does so.

“I'd love to have half the career that he had in my sport and, for me, it was about trying to pick his brains because our sports are probably as close as we can get it,” he said of this opportunity. “Obviously the mechanics are completely different. But we are individual. We've got our own teams. It's as close as we are going to get to the game of golf.”