I know him as William the lonely figure I've seen pounding balls on the range for several years now. His Chinese name is Liu Yan-Wei and if you try and find his profile on the European Tours website -- you won't. Twenty-year-old William turned pro back in 2014 and slowly but surely has become recognised as one of China's best young players.
Those of you who have not tried very hard to improve may not fully appreciate the following words, but learning to play this game extremely well requires a considerable amount of intestinal fortitude -- not to mention a very strong belief in your mental ability.
Last week, William received a spot in the Shenzhen International, which is a co-sanctioned European Tour event, and shot rounds of 69, 71, 66, 70 to finish joint 11th, receiving a cheque for around €45,000. I'm personally hoping that this will be his springboard to a very good career as a tournament player. He allowed me to cast my eye over his swing before he left for Shenzhen and all I said was that his swing looked extremely solid, as I'm only too aware of how any comment can be misconstrued or misinterpreted before a tournament, for 'professional golfers' are sensitive beings!
For a player who's positioned at No.551 in the world ranking list to shoot 276 (12-under) and finish ahead of many seasoned players (including Bubba Watson) will do wonders for his confidence, and he'll now see that there is indeed 'light at the end of the tunnel' which will help to validate all those lonely hours of practicing.
Out of Bounds: Over the years on a golf course you hear some wonderful 'foot in mouth' gaffs. For example: "I love Vietnam. I practically grew up in Bangkok," "If I don't succeed, I run the risk of failure," and during one legendary meeting: "Are we ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur."