Dwight Eversley Yorke’s name became famous when he joined one of Eng-land’s most elite football clubs, Manchester United, in 1998. Forming a legendary playing partnership with Andy Cole, Yorke won several titles in the Premiership, including The Treble – the Premiership, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League – in 1999.
In addition to being a professional football player, Yorke, who hails from Trin-idad & Tobago, plays golf in his spare time. The 45-year-old has pursued the sport since 1996 and after retiring from football in 2009 has become more se-rious about the game.
Yorke, who is now an ambassador for Manchester United, recently visited Indonesia to take part in a golf tournament. The event was hosted by Kansai Paint, the official paint for Manchester United. OB Golf & Lifestyle magazine took the opportunity to chat with him about his second sporting love, golf.
After retirement, there are so many sports to choose from, why did you choose golf?
I don’t think I chose golf. Golf chose me. To be fair, after retirement, I wanted to keep myself as active as possible. It’s something to do. Something to keep you competitive enough. I’ve always been in a team sport and God provided me with an individual sport. You don’t have to run a lot, that’s what I did in football. So, I was looking for something more relaxed but very competitive and golf brings those elements. I was introduced to golf in 1996, then I start-ed playing a little bit. So, that’s the reason why I am involved with golf.
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Between football and golf, which sport do you think is more difficult?
I think golf is more difficult. Since I was a kid, I played football, I played it all my life. Football is something that I grew up with. Golf is something that I have to learn. I’m an older age, which makes it a lot of harder, but I under-stand, once I got the hang of it a bit, what’s needed to hit a golf ball.
Have you ever thought about trying to become a professional player?
No. I’m long way from that. I just want to be the best sportsman to play the game of golf. I think that would be more realistic than trying to compete with professional players who have been doing this all their life. I respect them, I see them how they work, and how they hit the ball. We are nowhere near them. I want to be the best in terms of sportsmen.
In golf, there are so many aspects you can work on. What is the main thing you’re trying to improve in your game right now?
I think the thing is about golf, you have to improve every aspect of your game. Your long game, your short game, your bunker play. You know, all those things that I think I’m getting better at, all those departments. My putting needs to improve, but I think I strive to make sure all those categories that I spoke about in terms of the golf game are improving. I’ve got to this level consistently, so I expect to improve over the coming years.
