Golfing legend Gary Player told Taiwan's next generation of golfers yesterday to shape up if they want to be the next Tiger Woods.
At a golf clinic hosted by Tony Hsieh, the chairman of the Sunrise Golf and Country Club in Yangmei, Taoyuan County, 67-year-old Player gave the country's best young golfers a lesson in how to be a winner.
There have been grumbles of late on the local professional circuit the country's most successful golfers are past their prime and there is little fresh talent coming through.
"Golf is the greatest game," Player said. "And I'll tell you why. Baseball, football, most sports, you get to 32 and that's it. With golf you don't have to stop."
Referring to his 58th place finish on the final day of the Taiwan Open, Player said, "I'm nearly 70 years old and I still beat half the young guys in the field."
Player is known as a fitness fanatic and he said he exercises at the gym at least five times a week, sometimes seven.
Before giving a master class to high-school students Lin Chia-hau and Luor Shi-kai, Player emphasized the need for exercise and good nutrition if they were to succeed in golf.
Luor, who is already playing against 18-year olds and is said to be one of Taiwan's brightest hopes, said he wanted to learn as much as he could from the South African golfing legend.
Tony Hsieh said it was imperative to develop golf at the grass-roots level and that his club, in conjunction with others throughout Taiwan, had introduced several initiatives to encourage local youngsters.
"Gary is a great inspiration and we are sure he will have a positive influence on our best young golfers," Hsieh said.
A junior golf program has been set up at over 30 clubs nationwide, which concentrates on 14 to 18-year olds and gives them the chance of playing a round of golf for NT$600.
There will also be 12 monthly competitions in the northern, central and southern Taiwan, with four quarterly tournaments -- dubbed "the four majors."
An Acer Junior Golf Ranking system will seed young golfers based on their performance in the competitions.
The best 10 golfers will be enrolled in either domestic or overseas training camps and coached by top professionals.
Player said he hoped Taiwan would be able to produce the next Tiger Woods in the next five years. "I'll be back and we'll see," he said.
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