The former footballer is an avid lover of the sport and not only is he a Global Ambassador for the R+A, he joined Wales Golf and his own management company to support a new under-16s golf event for boys and girls, and has teamed up with NBA superstar Steph Curry to support the European expansion of his UNDERRATED Gold Tour, which is designed to make the game more accessible to all.

And Gareth hailed UNDERRATED as a “brilliant” initiative.

He told Bunkered magazine: “Golf’s a bit of a funny one. With football, it’s very easy to throw down a couple of jumpers in a park and off you go.

“Golf is very different. It’s harder to access and I guess kids from underprivileged backgrounds don’t really get the opportunities they deserve because it can be an expensive sport to play.

“So yeah, what UNDERRATED is doing, in terms of paying for pretty much everything, covering all the travel costs and so on, it’s just brilliant.

“It’s breaking down barriers and giving kids opportunities they would never have dreamed of before…

“It’s a long-term project but, already, you can see it has the potential to change kids’ lives and, hopefully, it’ll continue to do so.”

Gareth acknowledged there are fewer “opportunities” for talented young golfers to get spotted so wants to do what he can to help.

He said: “It’s all about opportunities. It’s that simple.

“Give them opportunities and let them be seen.

“I know how many opportunities there are in football.

“There are scouts everywhere. But golf is much smaller.

“So, if we can provide people with a platform, then who knows what they might go on to achieve.

“We might create the next generation of tour pros or maybe even another major champion.

“Our last one of those, in Wales, was Ian Woosnam. We need another.”