Former Tottenham and Wales legend Gareth Bale produced one of the top highlights from the amateur ranks while playing at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Bale, 33, retired from professional football in January after spending six months with MLS club LAFC.
Playing in his first PGA Tour event, Bale was partnered with Korn Ferry Tour Championship winner Joseph Bramlett, who he said he met around a year ago and has kept in contact with since.
"We met about a year ago and we have just been speaking over the year," he said. "I said to him last week 'let's prepare for this week' – he had a great week last week, and what a player.
"He is a world-class player. Just watching these players play, you can learn things and how they go about their business and how they do their process.
"It is just nice to watch and pick up things, their demeanour, their focus. It is different from what we were used to, but it is similar to my profession. We have similar traits, so fantastic playing with him today."
Bramlett is enjoying a terrific start to the tournament, tied for second at eight under through two rounds as he seeks his first PGA Tour victory, but he gave Thursday's shot of the day to Bale for his miraculous up-and-down off the cart path.
"I am more worried about how I found myself [on the path] in the first place, but I guess a lot of amateurs find themselves in that position," Bale said.
"It was a great shot and I just tried to play into the bank and hope for the best like most amateurs do.
"It was nice to see it roll up nice and close, and he was pretty much in for par so I was like 'I will pick it up' and [Bramlett] made me putt it because he was like 'this is going to be the greatest up-and-down'."
Philadelphia Union v Orlando City: Curtin looking for improvement amid tough run
Jim Curtin is calling for his Philadelphia Union side to improve ahead of the visit of Orlando City this weekend.
The Union are on a run of four games without a victory, needing to come from two goals behind to salvage a 2-2 draw away at D.C. United last weekend.
The poor run has left the Union eighth in the Eastern Conference, already 10 points behind leaders Inter Miami.
Curtin knows his side must get better ahead of back-to-back home games, telling reporters: "We still have a lot we can improve.
"We go back home for two games and we have to play with confidence. That's really when this group are at their best."
Orlando, meanwhile, are in the midst of their own underwhelming start, winning just two of their first 10 MLS games to leave them 14th in the East.
Oscar Pareja's men went down 1-0 at home to FC Cincinnati last weekend, and the Orlando head coach was disappointed with the performance and defeat.
"It's another frustrating night because of the result," Pareja said. "Obviously, at this point we are needing urgency to get points."
Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese added: "We’re trying to push a certain way instead of being ourselves. This team just has to fix that and try and be ourselves."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Philadelphia Union – Daniel Gazdag
Gazdag has started the season impressively in front of goal, netting six times in nine matches to kick off the campaign. If Philadelphia are to get themselves back up towards the top of the East, Gazdag may be the man to fire them to it.
Orlando City – Duncan McGuire
Orlando have found it tricky in front of goal so far this term, and McGuire leads the team's scoring charts with four, double what any of his team-mates have managed. It will likely fall upon him to provide his team's main goal threat again on Saturday.
MATCH PREDICTION – PHILADELPHIA WIN
The Union have lost back-to-back home matches after losing just two of their previous 51 at Subaru Park in all competitions. Philadelphia have never suffered a three-match home losing streak in all competitions in club history.
Orlando faced just seven shots in the defeat to Cincinnati last weekend as they've conceded a league-low 9.7 shots per match this season. Opponents have converted a league-high 18.6% of their shots into goals against the Lions this season, however.
Orlando won 2-1 at the Union in the last meeting between the sides in Chester in March 2023, but the Lions have never avoided defeat in consecutive away matches against Philadelphia in all competitions and the Union look the favourites to earn the three points this weekend.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Philadelphia: 54.2%
Orlando: 19.7%
Draw: 26.1%
Al-Akhdoud 2-3 Al-Nassr: Brozovic stunner delays Al-Hilal coronation
Marcelo Brozovic scored twice – including a fine half-volley in second-half stoppage time – as Al-Nassr beat Al-Akhdoud 3-2 to delay Al-Hilal's Saudi Pro League title coronation on Thursday.
Former Inter midfielder Brozovic fired in a seventh-minute opener from outside the area before Cristiano Ronaldo tapped into an empty net to double the visitors' lead.
Sadio Mane struck the woodwork early in the second half and Al-Nassr relinquished control of the game from there, with goals from Hassan Al Habib and Saviour Godwin making it 2-2.
However, Brozovic blasted a bouncing ball home following a goalmouth scramble in the first of seven minutes of stoppage time to hand Al-Nassr a fifth straight win and keep them within nine points of Al-Hilal, with three games still to play.
They have only delayed the inevitable though as the leaders – who have only dropped four points all season – need just one more point to secure their crown ahead of facing Al-Hazm on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Brozovic upstages Ronaldo
While it's usually Ronaldo writing the headlines for Al-Nassr, he was upstaged by Brozovic on Thursday as the Croatian found the net with both of his shots, also leading all players on the pitch for final-third passes (19) and completing 90.1 per cent of his passes overall (81/95).
McIlroy: Golf could learn from Northern Ireland peace process
Rory McIlroy has urged professional golf to find a "compromise" to the ongoing rift between the PGA Tour and the breakaway LIV circuit.
The world number two suggested they should follow the example of the Northern Ireland peace process, recalling the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, a peace deal that helped to end the Troubles in his homeland.
McIlroy noted the advantages of a deal being reached soon while admitting that both golf tours would have to compromise in the process.
Speaking ahead of this week’s Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina, McIlroy said: "I sort of liken it to like when Northern Ireland went through the peace process in the '90s and the Good Friday Agreement. Neither side was happy.
"Catholics weren't happy, Protestants weren't happy, but it brought peace and then you just sort of learn to live with whatever has been negotiated, right?
"That was in 1998, and 20, 25, 30 years ahead, my generation doesn't know any different. It's just this is what it's always been like, and we've never known anything but peace.
"That's sort of my little way of trying to think about it and trying to make both sides see that there could be a compromise here.
"It's probably not going to feel great for either side, but if it's a place where the game of golf starts to thrive again, and we can all get back together, then I think that's ultimately a really good thing."
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