KEEP CALM AND PLAY GOLF

BBC broadcast journalist is the epitome of educated calm on the air. But get him talking about golf and an uncanny passion lies beneath.

- JUSTINE MOSS

"Calm, optimistic and curious" smiles Steve Lai when I ask him to describe himself to me in three words. These qualities shine through not just in his professional life, but in his approach to a sport that has weaved its way through different chapters of his life.

The London-born, Brunei-raised, UK-educated and Singapore-based BBC Chief Presenter first took up golf in Brunei in his early 20's.

"I was still playing a lot of sports like football, rugby and rock climbing," Steve explains. "I've always been very active. Golf was more of a social thing, just for fun. I didn't have any formal lessons, I got hold of a second-hand set of clubs and played on weekends if someone needed me to make up a flight. I didn't take it too seriously then and figured I'd get to it when I was older."

While golf would later become a serious pursuit, Steve's journey first took him through the halls of academia and into the corporate world. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business and Marketing Management from the University of Gloucestershire, he joined the Brunei Economic Development Board where he spent a number of years working in marketing and investment promotion.

Steve's path to journalism, however, was influenced by an encounter during his school days that would plant the seeds for his future career. Justin Webb, a veteran British BBC journalist, gave a talk on journalism at Steve's school back in the 1990s.