The Otago Daily Times counts down the 150 greatest moments in Otago sport.
No 43: Turner seventh at British Open (1996)
Turner's career blossomed in the mid to late 1990s, and in the middle of a handful of tournament victories and Presidents Cup selection came an impressive top-10 finish in a major.
At Royal Lytham and St Annes, the Otago professional carded rounds of 72, 69, 68 and 68 to finish tied for seventh.
He banked a decent cheque but couldn't help but think what might have been had he picked up a couple more shots.
"I was so involved at the time, it wasn't really until I was in the car driving home that I really thought about it," he recalled recently.
"I was listening to the finish on the radio and it sort of dawned on me that it would have been quite exciting if I had picked up another couple of shots."
Turner didn't immediately recall who he was playing with in the final round, but he worked out it must have been young American David Duval.
He did remember hitting the bunker on the 18th hole and making bogey.
"The intensity of a final round in something like an Open is such that you just get completely involved in the moment. You're concentrating so hard you don't have much time to think about the ramifications of what you're doing.
"It's the history of the event, the size of the galleries. And as a young golfer, you grow up dreaming of winning a major."
Royal Lytham holds particular significance to New Zealand golfers because it was there, in 1963, that Bob Charles won the Open.
"I love all those Open courses but Lytham would be in the top half. It's a fantastic course," Turner said.
American Tom Lehman won his first major championship in 1996, holding off Ernie Els and Mark McCumber by two strokes. A young amateur called Tiger Woods tied for 22nd.
Turner's run at the British Open included ties for 20th in 1994, 51st in 1997 and 15th in 1998. His other top performance at a major was a tie for 16th at the 1999 PGA Championship.
