CNN
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give Ronan Keating a microphone and send him on stage to wow sold-out stadium crowds, and Irish Rest is the person.
But hand him a driver and put him on the first tee in front of a flatter Golf on fans St AndrewsAnd the former Boyzone star becomes a ball of anxiety.
He has sold millions of records, performed before the Pope and British royalty, but for Keating, playing the annual Alfred Dunhill Links Pro-Am tournament at the famous Scottish venue is an entirely different animal.
“Chalk and cheese, two different worlds. Even during practice rounds, I was jerking off before [tee]” he told CNN’s The Jazzy Golfer at the tournament in October.
“It’s the most nerve-wracking experience when there’s a crowd behind a supporter you’re playing with. There is nothing that even comes close.
However, don’t confuse nerves for lack of ability.
An avid golfer of more than 30 years, Keating carries a handicap of 11 – the same number of appearances he has made at the famed Pro-Am.
Born and raised in Dublin, the young singer’s sporting exploits initially revolved around Gaelic football and the native sport of hurling.
Keating never really thought about golf until his brothers returned from college in America.
While studying in upstate New York, his siblings worked part-time as caddies at some of the most prestigious courses in the area, including Winged Foot Golf Club, a six-time US Open venue.
And after being handed the club by his brothers, Keating was rarely seen without a set.
Even as Boyzone achieved global popularity in the mid-1990s, followed by an equally successful solo career at the turn of the century, Fairway was a constant distraction for Keating amid the demands of life as a pop star. The sanctuary remained.
Keating said, “If I could do anything else in my life as a job, it would be to be a professional golfer.”
“It gives me freedom, it gives me peace of mind, it gives me something to focus on away from other things.
“For your mental health, something like golf is a wonderful thing… To be able to clear your head like that is incredible.
“Go out and hit a ball, forget all your troubles, whatever’s going on, work, stress. It gives me peace of mind.”
Keating still has only one golfing idol: Gary Player.
It is said that you should never meet your heroes, but for Keating, encounters with a nine-time major winner have only enhanced the golfer’s celebrity status.
Since 2018, the pair have organized an annual fundraising event in the player’s native South Africa, this year in March, to raise money for sick and marginalized children in the country.
Part of the event saw Keating and Player play the same hole 18 times, once with each four-ball group that followed, but the experience was anything but monotonous.
Keating said, “I stood there for five hours with one of the greatest golfers of all time.”
“We laughed and we told stories, it was incredible – one of my favorite moments in this sport.
“He’s the nicest man in the world, he’s like all our dads … He was obviously an incredible golfer, but he’s still an incredible golfer and an incredible person.”
Although the three-time Open champion player has never lifted the Claret Jug at St Andrews, Keating is still chasing his personal victory on the Old Course.
Ahead of this year’s tee-off, Keating was determined to play in 11 fixtures for the first time in the event without expectation.
“I put so much pressure on myself to play well and it’s ridiculous. Why should I do that? I don’t do it for a living,” he said.
“I’m here as a guest and I have to enjoy myself, so I’m trying to do that this year.”
Aim low, get high. Paired with Scottish golfer Conor Syme, Keating recorded his inner player to finish in a highly impressive fifth-place finish.
Trailing winners Calum Shinkwin and American art dealer Alex Acquavella by six shots, the pair led the majority of the star-studded field, and trailed the father-son duo of Rory and Gerry McIlroy by one shot.
But for Keating, the real winner was St Andrews.
While the Pro-Am rotates during the week to two other iconic Scottish links courses at Carnoustie and Kingsbarns respectively, Keating has a soft spot for the self-proclaimed “home of golf”.
“Kingsburns is most beautiful and picturesque, but St Andrews is very special,” he said.
“It’s just a remarkable place – the scenery, the golf course, the history. It’s a real privilege to get a chance to play it.