Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has revealed one of his biggest sporting regrets, but it comes from the golf course rather than a football pitch.
Such is the short playing career, all footballers need something to keep them occupied when they hang up their boots, and for Shearer, that’s certainly golf.
Regular listeners of his podcast, The Rest Is Football, will know only too well the passion he holds for his second sport, but it is also the source of some frustrating memories.
Alan Shearer reveals missed Masters opportunity with Lee Westwood
Shearer is good friends with golfer Lee Westwood, and that bond almost led to the ex-Newcastle man ticking a key experience off his bucket list: playing Augusta National.
The Premier League’s all-time top goal scorer had already been denied the chance a year earlier when Westwood’s wife took the caddie spot, but he was promised the gig next time.
After making arrangements for the big day, Shearer recounted to Betfair: “He [Westwood] then said, 'Well, get ready because you're going to take a couple of shots, particularly on the last par 3.' I was thinking, ‘This is amazing’.
But there was to be a cruel twist of fate to keep Shearer away from his dream.
“We had a 1pm tee time and at about 12:40, I picked his bag up, and we were walking to the first tee,” Shearer said. “There was the biggest clash of thunder and lightning ever and the klaxon went so play was suspended for the rest of the day.
“I was lucky enough to go but unlucky that I didn't get to caddie for him. It's the only time in Masters history that the Par 3 has been cancelled!”
Determinedly, Shearer continued: “It's the one golf course I have to play at before I go.”
With his endless list of sporting contacts, it’s surely only a matter of time before the former striker has his wish granted.
Having seen his beloved Magpies lift their first major domestic silverware in 70 years, Shearer will now believe anything is possible – even a second shot at taking to the tee at Augusta.
