England captain Harry Kane and several teammates swapped the football pitch for the golf course last week, enjoying a round with five-time major winner Brooks Koepka during their World Cup training camp in Florida.
Thomas Tuchel’s squad arrived in West Palm Beach last Monday, enduring hot and humid conditions as they prepare for the tournament.
Their schedule has included a sweltering friendly victory over New Zealand in Tampa, with an Orlando warm-up against Costa Rica slated for Wednesday.
The England boss has prioritised a relaxed atmosphere before the intense preparations begin in Kansas City, allowing players ample downtime.
Golf has emerged as a popular pastime, with skipper Kane, John Stones, Jordan Pickford, Elliot Anderson, and training goalkeeper Jason Steele joining former world number one Koepka on the greens.
England midfielder Anderson said: “We had a plus one, we had Koepka on. Harry must know him and, yeah, that was amazing. It was mad, really. It was mint.
“He was so good. Put me to shame. I was so nervous on the tee box, but I did all right, to be honest.”
England are staying at the Belgrove Resort and Spa in West Palm Beach, where the Jack Nicklaus-designed 18-hole Dutchman’s Pipe course is the jewel in the crown.
Koepka lives around 18 miles away in Jupiter and it sounds like his biggest threat came from England’s skipper and 27th man.
“Steeley and Kane, they’re the best,” Anderson said. “They’ve got a bit of a competition for who’s the best. Brilliant golfers. It’s good to play with them.”
Meanwhile, Dan Burn has credited a pre-tournament trip to Disney for helping him acclimatise to the heat ahead of this summer’s tournament.
A family trip to Disney World helped him adapt to the conditions before their warm weather camp began in Florida last Monday.
Burn said of Saturday’s 1-0 friendly win against New Zealand in sweltering Tampa: “It doesn’t feel like the World Cup yet, but coming in and seeing the fans, the hype of it all and getting excited about it, so, yeah, I was happy with how it went.
“I think we dealt with the heat pretty well, got a win and a clean sheet. We can build on that.
“I didn’t notice (the heat) that much, if I am being honest. I have been here a week before, I did Disney with the kids because I wanted to get a bit of a head start.
“Honestly, I think that helped. Don’t get us wrong, it wasn’t like a Saturday afternoon in Newcastle, but I felt a lot better than I was expecting to.”
Burn loved his time with the family at Disney – “Guardians of the Galaxy is the best ride – if you go to Disney, that’s the one,” he said – and was among several players to get a headstart by travelling across the pond early.
“I wanted to do that because I am not used to the heat as much,” the towering defender said. “About half the squad did that and half the squad didn’t, but I feel better for it.
“We probably haven’t had the weather that we wanted this week. It has been a bit cloudy and rainy, but the last two days especially there has been a bit of heat.
“Personally, it hasn’t affected me as much as I thought it would, but I can’t speak for anyone else.”
