Lu Liang-Huan (Chinese: 呂良煥, 10 December 1936 – 15 March 2022), also known as Mister Lu (Mr Lu) to British golf fans, was a successful Taiwanese golfer who won several important tournaments on the Asian and European circuits between 1959 and 1987.
Early life
Lu was born in Taipei.
Professional career
Lu became the first winner of the Hong Kong Open in 1959, the tournament devised by former Australian Open champion Eric Cremin and featuring, among others, Bob Charles and Kel Nagle. He would become a regular winner on the Far East Circuit, later known as the Asia Golf Circuit, winning his own country's national Open on four occasions and the overall circuit title in 1966 and 1967.[1][2] He also played on the Japan Golf Tour, winning nine times between 1971 and 1987.
His finest year was 1971, when he finished runner-up to Lee Trevino in The Open at Royal Birkdale, then the following week won the Open de France at Biarritz, becoming the first Taiwanese and Asian golfer to win on the European Tour.[3][4] He also won in Thailand and Japan that season. In 1972, he and countryman Hsieh Min-Nan teamed up to win the World Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Taiwan's sole victory in the event.[5]
Personal life
Lu's nephew, Lu Hsi-chuen, also had a successful career as a professional golfer.[6]
Death
Lu died at Taipei Veterans General Hospital on 15 March 2022, at the age of 85.[7][8]
Professional wins (29)
PGA of Japan Tour wins (8)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 Jun 1973 | World Friendship | −12 (69-73-65-69=276) | Playoff |  Isao Aoki,  Graham Marsh
|
| 2 | 21 Apr 1974 | Sobu International Open1 | −8 (71-71-68-70=280) | 4 strokes | Masashi Ozaki, Fumio Tanaka
|
| 3 | 1 Sep 1974 | Hiroshima Open | −16 (68-68-67-69=272) | 1 stroke | Takashi Murakami
|
| 4 | 11 May 1975 | Fujisankei Classic | −8 (71-71-68-70=280) | 4 strokes | Graham Marsh
|
| 5 | 31 Aug 1975 | Hiroshima Open (2) | −13 (66-65-72-72=275) | Playoff | Tōru Nakamura, Kosaku Shimada
|
| 6 | 26 Jun 1977 | Shizuoka Open | −5 (68-71-72-70=283) | Playoff | Yasuhiro Miyamoto
|
| 7 | 21 Aug 1983 | Acom Doubles (with  Lu Hsi-chuen)
|
−27 (64-66-66-65=261) | Playoff | Hajime Meshiai and Masashi Ozaki
|
| 8 | 22 Mar 1987 | Shizuoka Open (2) | −8 (71-74-69-66=280) | 2 strokes | Nobumitsu Yuhara
|
1Co-sanctioned by the Asia Golf Circuit
PGA of Japan Tour playoff record (4–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1973 | World Friendship | Isao Aoki, Graham Marsh
|
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 2 | 1975 | Hiroshima Open | Tōru Nakamura, Kosaku Shimada
|
Won two-hole aggregate playoff; Lu: E (3-4=7), Nakamura: +2 (5-4=9), Shimada: +2 (4-5=9) |
| 3 | 1976 | Fujisankei Classic | Norio Suzuki
|
Lost to par on fifth extra hole |
| 4 | 1977 | Shizuoka Open | Yasuhiro Miyamoto
|
|
| 5 | 1983 | Acom Doubles (with Lu Hsi-chuen)
|
Hajime Meshiai and Masashi Ozaki
|
Won with birdie on third extra hole |
Asia Golf Circuit wins (10)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 Feb 1965 | Philippine Open | E (69-73-75-71=288) | 2 strokes | Hsieh Yung-yo
|
| 2 | 3 Apr 1966 | Taiwan Open | −7 (71-71-69-70=281) | 2 strokes | Chen Chien-chung, Hsu Chi-san, Kuo Chie-Hsiung
|
| 3 | 28 Mar 1971 | Thailand Open | −10 (70-69-70-69=278) | 1 stroke |  David Oakley
|
| 4 | 17 Feb 1974 | Philippine Open (2) | −11 (73-70-71-67=281) | Playoff | Hsu Sheng-san
|
| 5 | 24 Feb 1974 | Hong Kong Open | E (70-70-70-70=280) | Playoff | Graham Marsh
|
| 6 | 21 Apr 1974 | Sobu International Open1 | −8 (71-71-68-70=280) | 4 strokes | Masashi Ozaki, Fumio Tanaka
|
| 7 | 19 Feb 1978 | Philippine Open (3) | −9 (68-71-73-66=278) | 7 strokes | Kuo Chie-Hsiung
|
| 8 | 8 Apr 1979 | Taiwan Open (2) | −1 (70-72-71-74=287) | 2 strokes | Chen Tze-ming
|
| 9 | 10 Apr 1983 | Taiwan Open (3) | +7 (75-73-75-72=295) | Playoff | Bill Israelson
|
| 10 | 14 Apr 1985 | Taiwan Open (4) | −6 (73-71-67-71=282) | Playoff |  Rafael Alarcón, Hsieh Yu-shu
|
1Co-sanctioned by the PGA of Japan Tour
Asia Golf Circuit playoff record (4–2)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1966 | Singapore Open |  Ross Newdick,  George Will
|
Newdick won with birdie on second extra hole |
| 2 | 1967 | Taiwan Open | Hsieh Yung-yo
|
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 1974 | Philippine Open | Hsu Sheng-san
|
Won with par on first extra hole |
| 4 | 1974 | Hong Kong Open | Graham Marsh
|
Won with birdie on third extra hole |
| 5 | 1983 | Taiwan Open | Bill Israelson
|
Won three-hole aggregate playoff; Lu: E (4-3-5=12), Israelson: +3 (5-3-7=15) |
| 6 | 1985 | Taiwan Open | Rafael Alarcón, Hsieh Yu-shu
|
Won with par on sixth extra hole Hsieh eliminated by par on first hole |
Other Japan wins (4)
- 1971 The Crowns Tournament
- 1972 Kuzuha International
- 1973 Hokuriku Classic[9]
- 1976 Sanpo Champions Tournament[10]
Other Taiwan wins (6)
- 1970 Republic of China PGA Championship
- 1975 Republic of China PGA Championship
- 1977 Republic of China PGA Championship
- 1979 Republic of China PGA Championship, Kaohsiung Open
- 1987 Xinfeng Open
Other wins (4)
- 1959 Hong Kong Open
- 1971 French Open
- 1972 World Cup (team with Hsieh Min-Nan), Panama Open
Playoff record
New Zealand Golf Circuit playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1972 | Otago Charity Classic | Johnny Miller
|
Lost to birdie on first extra hole |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | 37 | T43 | T43 | ||||||||
| The Open Championship | T24 | 2 | T40 | T5 | T53 |
Note: Lu only played in the Masters Tournament and The Open Championship.
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Team appearances
- World Cup (representing Chinese Taipei): 1956, 1962, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1980
- Dunhill Cup (representing Taiwan): 1985
References
- ^ "Boyle triumphs in the Yomiuri". The Straits Times. Singapore. 11 April 1966. p. 19. Retrieved 19 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
- ^ "Thompson equal third". The Age. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. AAP–Reuters. 10 April 1967. p. 25. Retrieved 19 February 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lu Wins French Open By 2 Shots With 262". The New York Times. 19 July 1971.
- ^ "Atwal first Indian to win European Tour event". ESPN. Reuters. 24 February 2002.
- ^ Alliss, Peter (1983). The Who's Who of Golf. Orbis Publishing. p. 361. ISBN 0-85613-520-8.
- ^ "Taiwan's Lu first rookie to win three golf titles". The Straits Times. Singapore. 25 April 1979. p. 32. Retrieved 19 February 2020 – via National Library Board.
- ^ "快訊／台灣高爾夫球傳奇「呂良煥病逝」！享壽86歲" [Taiwan golf legend Lu Liang-Huan passed away; 86 years old]. ETtoday (in Chinese). 15 March 2022.
- ^ "The one story you've got to know about Taiwanese great 'Mr. Lu,' who died at 85". Golfweek. 18 March 2022.
- ^ McCormack, Mark H. (1974). The World of Professional Golf. Collins. pp. 324, 542–543. ISBN 0002119544.
- ^ McCormack, Mark H. (1977). The World of Professional Golf 1977. Collins. pp. 294, 521. ISBN 0002168790.
External links
- Lu Liang-Huan at the Japan Golf Tour official site
- Lu Liang-Huan at the Taiwan PGA official website (in Chinese)
- Lu Liang-Huan at the Official World Golf Ranking official site
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