Remembering 'Mr Lu' at Royal Birkdale in 1971

ROYAL Birkdale Golf Club has a special place in the hearts of Asian golf fans. For it was on this golf course in Southport, north-west England, in 1971 that Taiwanese Lu Liang Huan registered the best-ever finish for an Asian in the British Open.

"Mr Lu", as he came to be known to British golf fans, lost only to Lee Trevino by one shot, beating Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player in the process.

Going by the first-round finish this year as The Open returns to Royal Birkdale, and with no Asian featuring in the top 10 (although it is early days yet), it looks like this feat will not be bettered or even matched.