Former Wales and British and Irish Lions scrumhalf Mike Phillips has never been one you could criticise for a lack of confidence.
However, even after 99 international caps, 94 for Wales and five for the Lions, even Phillips suffers from first tee nerves.
For the third consecutive year, the former Ospreys, Scarlets and Cardiff player has headlined an annual golf day to raise money for charity.
This is the second year that the day is raising money for Prostate Cymru, last year, the day raised £22,000, a target the competitive Phillips is keen to beat.
Phillips himself has made a mess of his tee shot two years running, so this is a prime opportunity to see one of the few things he never managed in his professional career…a hattrick.
“Hopefully the sun is shining because the weather wasn’t great last year,” said Phillips.
“It’s an amazing team at Prostate Cymru, a fantastic charity and it’s really nice to support them as they’ve been fantastic in helping us. I’m also looking to support my secondary school Ysgol Dyffryn Taf as well.
“I love golf and I’m not bad bar my first tee shots! I was lucky enough to take part in Cymru’s Pro Am at Wentworth and it was one of the best days I’ve ever had, it’s amazing when you’re at that first tee and the crowd are around you, it’s like a professional environment, recreating that pressure.
“Last year we had cricketers Simon Jones and Robert Croft along with ex-Wales rugby internationals Brynmor Williams, James Hook and Andy Powell with former Ospreys head coach Sean Holley and this year there’ll be a headliner, bar me of course!”
Money will be raised for Prostate Cymru a charity which looks to “Encourage all men to be proactive about their prostate health.”
Tina Tew, Chief Executive of Prostate Cymru said: “In Wales 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer with 12,000 men dying from it every year in the UK.”
“All too often they find out by complete chance, and it may be too late. While the risks increase with age, family history and ethnicity, very often there are no symptoms or early warning signs.
“We are an independent Welsh Charity, with no national funding or government grants. We are totally reliant on fundraising events such as this, and the goodwill of the Welsh public.
“We also plan to recruit additional resource which will enable us to offer extended hours to our specialist nurse helpline and enhance our outreach programme.”
“It’s widely considered a disease for older men; this is not the case. Men are considered at a higher risk from the age of 50, or if there’s a family history, from age 45,” Tew added.
“There is no screening for prostate cancer, a simple blood test, known as a PSA test, is available, which measures the amount of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood.
“We would encourage men with any concerns to speak to their GP or practice nurse to consider whether a PSA test is right for them. Our specialist nurse is also available Monday-Fridays from 4pm-8pm on 08000 470 200.”