What is the lowest handicap you've played off?
Well, the lowest I've ever got my handicap down to is nine, which was about the same time as when I had probably my best-ever round: a 78 on the Ailsa Course at Turnberry in Scotland with birdies at the seventeenth and eighteenth holes! I was playing with a group of Americans that I had met as a result of my investment in Yum! Brands’ KFC and Pizza Hut franchises in Asia. We travelled in style, played the best courses on the west coast and stayed in first-class accommodations. To top it off the Scottish weather was sunny and warm, making the trip a treat.
The weather was far from ideal when you won the Shek O Club Championship in 1998 ...
[Laughs]. No it wasn't. Several of the players asked that the competition be cancelled because the typhoon number three signal went up. The wind was howling, rain spraying the course, but it was still playable. We called up Fanling, and they were still open, so it was decided that we'd just go out and get on with it.
My win and that of Jorgen Schonfeldt in 1985 stand out as the two quirks in the Club Championship when a low handicapper failed to capture the coveted trophy.
Were you nervous going down the closing stretch of holes?
Well the final round was not without controversy. Someone - and I won't name names - also had a low score in the morning round but was disqualified after signing for an incorrect score [the Shek O Club Championship is contested over 36 holes in a single day]. I went out for the afternoon round after shooting a 74 and I figured I was in the hunt. Coming down the 16th fairway, three holes remaining, I was playing well considering the weather conditions and feeling confident. On the adjacent 11th fairway the last group, including past captain and friend Jim Mailer, passed by. Jim casually mentioned that his group was not playing particularly well and that my chances were “looking good”. From that point on the nerves became apparent and I putted virtually every approach shot just to avoid a double bogey.
In those days I rarely used a wood off the tee and relied on my short game and putter around and on the greens. Anyhow, I completed the afternoon round in 77, finishing three shots clear of runner-up Roddy Sage. I peaked at that stage. Now I'm comfortable being a 14-handicap and enjoying it!
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