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Player plays it up in celebrity golf at Acer Taiwan Open

It was fun rather than rivalry yesterday as golf legend Gary Player and local celebrities teamed up for the Acer Taiwan Open Pro-Am tournament.

High scores were the order of the day on the 18-hole, par 72, Sunrise Golf and Country Club course in Taoyuan, near Taipei.

Player -- winner of 164 career championships -- got round the course in a disappointing 83, but some celebrities shot over 100.

The South African diplomatically explained away the high-scoring rounds by saying the pin positions on the greens were difficult.

No-one seemed to mind that much, least of all Acer President Stan Shih (施振榮), who was paired with Player and against junior golfer Lo Shih-kai (羅士凱) and TV entertainer Yung Chun-rong (楊峻榮).

Player gave the Acer boss a few tips on his swing which paid off, as Shih made instant progress and gained 20m with his drive. Earlier in the day, Player had given a master-class to some of Taiwan's brightest golfing prospects.

As well as being the title sponsor for the Taiwan Open, Acer introduced a new wireless scoring system yesterday, which is intended to give virtually immediate updates on a player's progress.

Course officials download scores through pocket PCs and the data is processed to provide real-time scoring for fans, media, officials and even the players -- who can more closely evaluate their performances from the statistics generated by the new setup.

Organizers said the Acer Golf Instant Scoring System had worked smoothly and would likely be adopted by other golf clubs and events.

At a welcome party and awards ceremony after the pro-am tournament, Taiwan's own golfing legend Hsieh Yung-yu (謝永郁) was awarded the Diners Outstanding Achievement Award.

Known as one of the fathers of golf in Taiwan, Hsieh turned professional in 1957 and picked up 35 career victories.

He was one of the first local golfers to make an impression in regional competitions, winning four Asian Professional Golf Association (APGA) championships and led the Asian Circuit Order of Merit four years running in the mid- to late-1960s.

Round 1 of the Taiwan Acer Open starts today at 6:50am, with Gary Player scheduled to start at 11: 20am.

Thailand's in-form Thongchai Jaidee is likely to be among the front runners, with Andrew Pitts of the US expected to put up a strong defense of the title he won last year.
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