Taiwanese Lu Liang-huan, affectionately nicknamed “Mr. Lu”, died on March 15 at the age of 85. The golf world found him in 1971 when he took 2nd place in the British earlier than profitable the French Open.
No, it is not simply one other villain from the James Bond motion pictures or a rival as athletic as Bruce Lee. “Mr. Lu” was a pleasant man, all smiles, who greeted the public together with his blue “pork pie” hat, which had change into his trademark.
Caddy earlier than being an Asian star
His story begins like many different continental champions with some unique touches. He found golf as a toddler when he grew to become a caddy to assist his household. To lower your expenses, he makes bamboo golf equipment and makes use of guavas as balls…
Having change into one of the first execs in his nation, it was solely pure that he made a profession in Asia from the finish of the Fifties. In 1971, he made himself identified to the eyes of the world by taking the 2nd place British Open.
An astonishing 2nd place at the British 1971
That yr, the British passed off at the Royal Birkdale. In place to win, Lu Liang-huan shortly turns into an attraction for the public, delighted to see this smiling Asian increase his blue hat with every cheer. He even turns into the darling of it by a misadventure. On the 18th, his second shot of wooden 5 turns to catastrophe: his ball knocks out a spectator who will probably be taken to the hospital.
Livid, “Mr. Lu”, nickname given by the well-known agent Mark McCormack on tv, is fairly shaken. But he nonetheless manages to make a birdie on this closing gap like his opponent Lee Trevino who wins the event by a small blow.
First Asian to win in Europe
Every week later, able to play theFrench Open in Biarritz, Lu lastly receives information of the unlucky lady: Mr. Lu, I'm high-quality, do loads of birdies she writes to him.
This is what he did on the Lighthouse course, identified to be brief like him at the drive. Lu thus turns into the first Asian to win on the European circuit. The period of globalization is thus definitively open.
Between 1959 and 1987, “Mr. Lu” carried his smile with a number of hits. To his credit score some thirty skilled victories together with a 1972 World Cup and 8 tournaments on the Japan Tour. There he received the esteem of his friends and a bit of cash which he then made worthwhile by the luxurious resort enterprise in Taiwan.
CT Pan's Tribute
the Taiwanese of the PGA Tour CT Pan paid tribute to him on his fb account by posting a photograph accompanied by a textual content explaining that Mr Lu, along with being a particularly gifted participant, was his mannequin.
The causes for his dying stay unknown to at the present time.
©AFP PHOTO/Paul Lakatos/UBS