Deaf player overcomes sounds of silence on tour
Lee Sung never had a problem with rowdy galleries, cameras clicking on his back swing or mobile phones breaking the silence. His whole world was deadly quiet.
The 29-year-old South Korean has amazed so many people by defying deafness in a sport where sound is so important that one disbelieving European Tour player yelled out during his swing 'Leeeeeee Sung'. There was no response.
Ernie Els played with Lee in the 2007 BMW Asian Open in Shanghai and remarked: 'It's amazing. So much that we do comes from feeling and sound. A good golf shot sounds good and when you hit a good putt, it comes from good sound. It must be very difficult for him. He's doing unbelievable.'
Now Lee can hear the sweetest sound of all - the impact of club on ball - thanks to the marvels of medical science.
'I had an implant in my right ear three weeks ago,' Lee said after putting his name on the leaderboard yesterday at the US$600,000 Black Mountain Masters, the Asian Tour's season-ending event.
'My hearing is about 80 per cent in that ear now and I will have the other implant in about three years as you cannot do both at once because it causes an imbalance,' he said through a combination of speech, sign language and the help of his father Lee Kang-kun. Lee was born deaf and played baseball as a youngster but had trouble communicating with teammates and switched to golf.
Coached by his father, he scored his maiden win on the Asian Tour at the Bangkok Airways Open in 2007 and is 32nd on the order of merit this year with a best finish of tied for eighth at the Iskandor Johor Open.
Now Lee is discovering a whole new world and among the novelties is hearing his phone ring.
But nothing beats the 'thwack' of the driver for Lee and he rejoiced in the noise yesterday in a six-under 66 to lie one shot behind first-round leaders Angelo Que of the Philippines and Tetsuji Hiratsuka and Daisuke Maruyama of Japan.
Que said he was an 'angry' golfer because of a disappointing season but changed his mindset recently, which meant a finishing-hole bogey for a 65 did not wipe the smile off his face.
Hiratsuka, who has won twice on the Asian Tour this year and is seventh on the money list, roared into a share of the lead with seven birdies on his back nine of 30. 'I'm really looking forward to ending the year on a winning note,' he said.
Joining Lee at six under were local hopes Chapchai Nirat and Atthapon Prathummanee, Simon Griffiths (England), Himmat Rai (India) and Anthony Kang (US).
Defending champion Johan Edfors will need to go low today just to make the cut after the Swede shot a disappointing two-over-par 74.
