FOR Mr Lu in 1971, read Mr Li in 2017. In the flabbergasting, fraught finale to the 146th Open Championship Li Haotong was calmness and cheeriness personified.

No wonder. The 21-year-old from China had just put the tin lid on his debut appearance in the game’s most decorated major with a rousing final flourish. Four straight birdies from the 15th in a shimmering closing round of 63 propelled him into third place.

He’s probably inspired another 10 million folk to take up golf in his vast homeland after this.

Forty six years ago on this same sprawl of Birkdale duneland, Taiwan’s colourful, charismatic Lu Liang Huan, known affectionately as the aforementioned Mr Lu, delighted the galleries of Birkdale with his cap-doffing exploits as he finished second behind Lee Trevino in the 1971 championship.

That runners-up place remains the highest finish by an Asian player in the Open.

Li tried his best to surpass that with a rampaging run which illustrated his eastern promise. “I know he (Lu) was a long time ago but, wow, what a legend,” said Li. “I just tried to follow him.

After Branden Grace’s record-breaking 62 during Saturday’s third round, a 63 is now almost greeted with a nonchalant shrug.

It was a superbly assembled round and one which equalled the lowest final round in major history.

“For some reason I holed everything and it feels awesome, unbelievable, I can’t explain,” said Li after that dazzling denouement over the closing stretch.

Li, whose game his fine tuned by his coach Jamie Gough, the brother of former Scotland footballer Richard, made his breakthrough on the European Tour in 2015 when he won the Shenzhen International in his own backyard before claiming another victory in his native land last season with a win at the Volvo China Open.

He grabbed a few headlines a few weeks ago when his mother went into a lake during the French Open to retrieve the putter that had been flung in there by her son.

“My mum didn’t know I broke my putter in the lake and she just tried to help me,” said the world No 107 of his mum’s wade. “I felt really sorry for her.”

Asked if she was angry with him that day, he said: “Not really.”

She would have been wearing a smile as wide as the Beijing Grand Bridge yesterday.

Her son’s beam was even wider. Confronted by a gaggle of scribblers and cameraman throwing questions at him, Li did well to stave off the lines of inquiry regarding that ruddy putter, though.

“Don’t remind me, please,” he said as that smile slowly began to turn into a grimace. “You give me a lot of hard time. Next question.”

Li added: “I learned English on tour, since 2015 when I first played on the Web.com Tour. It’s a lot easier than you guys learning our language.”

Ernie Els, the two-time Open champion, who partnered Li during the final round was mightily impressed by the exhibition he had witnessed at close hand.

“I could see he wasn’t backing off,” said Els of Li’s final day thrust. “You see some guys get a little bit scared, but he kept going so it was really special to see.

“What he (Grace) did (on Saturday) broke every record in the book but (Sunday’s) round, for what it is, is not the same number but it’s the same quality golf.”

Li’s third place finish guarantees a return to the Open at Carnoustie next year as well as a tee-time at next year’s Masters at Augusta National.

“Really?,” said Li of his Masters invitation that had taken him by surprise “Wow, that’s a big gift. Huge.”

Mr Li had made a huge statement at Birkdale.