Legendary former Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar will be the celebrity guest at the Bruce Grobbelaar Mixed Golf Open at Heysham Golf Club this Friday (July 4) when he will be showing off his skills on the golf course.

Bruce will play a round of golf as part of the team competition and then speak at an awards dinner later in the evening.

Born in South Africa in 1957, Grobbelaar served two years in the Rhodesian army and then joined American team Vancouver Whitecaps.

He was spotted by Liverpool scouts and joined the then League Champions in 1981, eventually replacing the great Ray Clemence as their number one.

After a shaky start when his eccentric style of goalkeeping sometimes got the team into trouble, Grobbelaar went on to make 440 appearances for the Reds, winning six League Championships, a European Cup, three FA Cups and three League Cups.

Bruce became a cult figure with Liverpool fans, especially for doing handstands around the Wembley pitch following a League Cup Final win, and for his infamous 'wobbly legs' routine on the goal-line during Liverpool's victorious penalty shoot-out against Roma in the 1984 European Cup Final.

He later went on to play for Southampton, Plymouth, Oldham and other lower division clubs, making his final appearance in 2007 aged 49.

Grobbelaar is also known for the match-fixing allegations that dogged him during the 1990s. He was acquitted of all charges against him in 1997, then successfully sued The Sun newspaper for libel although this was later over-turned on appeal when he was awarded £1 by the House of Lords and ordered to pay The Sun's court costs of half a million pounds, leaving him bankrupt.

Since then Bruce has devoted himself to coaching and playing charity matches, as well as brushing up on his golf handicap.

He has also carved a career as an accomplished after-dinner speaker with plenty of tales to tell.

For more details on the Bruce Grobbelaar Golf Open, which is promoted by the locally-based Main Event Promotions, please call 01524 733155 or Heysham Golf Club on 01524 852000.

Our reporter GREG LAMBERT asked Bruce his opinions on a number of quick-fire subjects, as follows...

BRUCE ON GOLF

"I started playing golf when I first came out of the army and returned to South Africa. I got work as a car salesman and I used to take clients onto the course to try to close the deal. I now play off a handicap of two and my best-ever score was 69 in Zimbabwe. I'd like to get onto the South African seniors tour and play professionally but it would be difficult, I'd have to go through the qualifying school. My golfing heroes are South Africans like Simon Hobday, Gary Player, David Frost, Nick Price and Mark McNulty.

"I thought the US Open was absolutely fantastic. Tiger Woods is a remarkable individual. He had problems with his knee, he's had three operations, but his addiction is winning. My belief is that he will surpass Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 majors by four and then retire."

BRUCE ON MORECAMBE

"I've never been to Heysham before but I did turn the Morecambe Illuminations on in 1989. I know about Eric Morecambe but that's about it."

BRUCE ON EURO 2008

"I think it's been an absolutely tremendous championship, even though none of the home countries are there. I've backed Spain to win - not because of the Liverpool connection but because they have always been the 'nearly men'. They faltered against Sweden but they played badly and still won. Casillas is a sound goalkeeper. I feel they have an abundance of talent and if their mindset is right they can go all the way. My mate's father died recently in the Canary Islands, which is another reason why I'm supporting Spain."

BRUCE ON TODAY'S GOALKEEPERS

"The best goalkeepers in the world are Buffon of Italy and Petr Cech. Cech made a big mistake in Euro 2008 but that can happen to any goalkeeper.

"I actually think the standard of English goalkeepers is still very sound. I think it's unlucky that they didn't pick David James (for the crucial qualifier against Croatia) because I still think he has a lot to offer. The less said about (Steve MacLaren) the better!"

BRUCE ON LIVERPOOL

"It has never been the Liverpool way to air dirty laundry in public and (this year's controversy with American owners Gillett and Hicks) should not have happened.

"But I think Liverpool are very near to challenging Manchester United and Chelsea. They need two good wing-backs. Their centre-halves are OK and the midfield is very strong although we will need someone to replace Xabi Alonso as it looks like he's going.

"I still play for Liverpool Old Boys. We're playing Manchester United Old Boys in Ireland in the summer. There's still a lot of the great 80s team who play, even Phil Neal after two hip replacements. I'm always telling him on the pitch to watch his hips!"

BRUCE ON HANDSTANDS

"If I hole a birdie or an eagle at Heysham I might well do a handstand. Why change something that works?"

BRUCE ON MATCH-FIXING

"I moved on with my life as soon as my trial was done. A lot of people harbour grudges and still ask me questions about it but the fact is I was cleared by the highest court in the land. I was acquitted."

BRUCE ON ROYAL ASCOT

"I was at Royal Ascot on Saturday. Not for horse racing, I've only ever bet on the Grand National and one other race, but as an invited guest of the Queen in the royal box. So it's Ascot on Saturday and then Heysham on Friday!"