Lu Liang-Huan 呂良煥 | |
Nickname: | Mister Lu |
Birth Date: | 1936 12, df=yes |
Birth Place: | Taipei, Taiwan, Japan |
Death Place: | Taipei, Taiwan |
Height: | 1.72 m |
Weight: | 65kg (143lb) |
Status: | Professional |
Yearpro: | 1956 |
Extour: | Japan Golf Tour Asia Golf Circuit |
Prowins: | 29 |
Japwins: | 8 |
Otherwins: | 21 |
Masters: | 37th: 1972 |
Usopen: | DNP |
Open: | 2nd: 1971 |
Pga: | DNP |
Award1: | Far East Circuit Order of Merit winner |
Year1: | 1966, 1967 |
T: | 呂良煥 |
S: | 吕良焕 |
P: | Lǚ Liánghuàn |
Poj: | Lū Liông-hoàn |
Lu Liang-Huan (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.
Lu was born in Taipei. He 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]
Lu's nephew, Lu Hsi-chuen, also had a successful career as a professional golfer.[6]
Lu died at Taipei Veterans General Hospital on 15 March 2022, at the age of 85.[7] [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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
New Zealand Golf Circuit playoff record (0–1)
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 |
. The Who's Who of Golf . Peter Alliss . . 1983 . 0-85613-520-8 . 361.