Though there was a huge disparity in skill - about 16 handicap compared with plus-five - it will come as no surprise that Alex Higgins had a similar approach to golf as to snooker. The point is illustrated graphically by an old rival, Ray Reardon, in the recently-published book The Alex Higgins Story by John Hennessey.
It concerns a pro-am in which Higgins played with Welsh professional Craig Defoy at St Pierre, where Reardon was in the group behind. At the old sixth, which, at about 100 yards, was very much shorter than it is now, Higgins took his caddie's advice and proceeded to comfortably overshoot the green with a nine-iron from the elevated tee.
After spectators down below had indicated that the ball couldn't be found, Defoy told Higgins to reload, while adding that he himself had played a sandwedge. Reardon takes up the story: Putting it mildly, words were exchanged between the caddie and Higgy, who then said: `There you are caddie, give me a sandwedge.' Alex played the shot and he thinned it, right off the flange.
He went just over the lip and saw the ball run down through the rough. About 100 yards below, we then saw the ball go into a bunker, run out of the bunker, get over the lip, run on to the green and finish about a foot from the pin.
We were in hysterics and Higgins turned to the poor caddie and said: `There you are, Mr Caddie, I told you it should have been a sandwedge in the first place.'
There was also an occasion when Reardon played with Higgins in a fourball at St Mellion and the Hurricane didn't have the patience to walk with the rest of the group, but raced ahead after every shot. The Welshman recalled: Actually, he wasn't a bad player and tried his hardest.
We managed to keep apace until the 17th hole, which was a monster par-five. We all teed off, but then Alex went belting up the fairway, desperate to get on with it. By the time we'd reached the green, Alex had putted out and was waiting for us to arrive, itching to get at the last hole. Reardon added: It's not golf etiquette, but no one minded because they all knew what he was like.
Though he survived throat cancer, the book reveals Higgins as a broken man, penniless and beset by further health problems. And Reardon spoke for most of the Hurricane's colleagues when he observed: Naturally, I am saddened by Alex's plight now. He should be a wealthy man today, enjoying his life on the golf course.
He concluded: But there is no denying he enriched snooker, brought grief to quite a few players and pleasure to millions. An incredible character. A complete one-off.
Indeed.
Quote: "The best year of my life was when I was 11. I got straight As, had two recesses a day and the cutest girlfriend. And I won 32 tournaments that year. Everything's been downhill since." - Tiger Woods indulging in some euphoric recall while entertaining youngsters at one of his recent clinics.
