American golfer remembers ‘terrible’ Vietnamese snake liquor fondly

“I remember playing in Vietnam and I had snake liquor from a restaurant,” Lipsky told Golf Digest. “There’s a snake at the bottom of this barrel and that was it. They were distilling some alcohol and the owner gave us a couple shots. It was terrible. But I still took it.”

Lipsky’s unique experience happened eight years ago when he competed at the 2015 Ho Tram Open as part of the Asian Tour.

The 34-year-old golfer said he’s from a multi-ethnic background, and his family is in the restaurant business, so he’s not afraid to try different kinds of food and drink. Lipsky’s father is Jewish and his mother Korean.

He started playing golf at 10 and went pro in 2011. After achieving success at Asian tournaments, he switched to Europe and won two titles there.

Lipsky found his way to the PGA Tour in the U.S., but it took him nine years to compete at the highest level. So far, he has competed in 68 PGA Tour events and made it to the top 10 seven times.

When the 2023 PGA Tour concluded in Ohio on Monday, Lipsky had peaked at eighth overall. The winner was Norway’s Viktor Hovland.