Publication date: June 20, 2023.
The ThreeBond Yeangder Challenge Tour successfully completed its first round of intense competition today at the Suncity Golf Course in Hsinchu. Last year's Challenge Tour money leader, Sean Yu, delivered an impressive performance, carding a 2-under-par 70 with six birdies and four bogeys to take a narrow solo lead. Peng Hung-Ching, TSAI, YU-TA, and CHEN MING-YI all shot 1-under-par 71 to share the second spot. They are determined to fight for the championship tomorrow. In a stroke of luck, Hong Chia Yuh managed to score a hole-in-one on the eighth hole today.
Sponsored by Yeangder Group, this tournament is the fifth event of the TPGA ThreeBond Challenge Tour this year. With a total prize money of 1 million New Taiwan Dollars and a champion's prize of 150,000 New Taiwan Dollars, it marks the halfway point of the annual nine-event series. A total of 96 participants, including four TPGA seeded players, 85 professional players, and seven amateur players, are competing in the tournament.
The weather conditions at the golf course were favorable for today's first round of the competition, although there was a significant wind. Leading the pack is Sean Yu, who earned the money leader title last year and secured a spot in the TPGA TOUR. With limited opportunities to participate in this year's ThreeBond Challenge Tour, Sean Yu competed as the defending champion in the opening event and is now playing in the Yeangder Challenge Tour at Suncity Golf Course this week. As it is his first time playing at Suncity, he admitted not being familiar with the course. Fortunately, his performance with the short irons was impressive, making excellent approach shots and sinking six birdies. He started a streak of four consecutive birdies from the fifth hole, which became crucial in securing his lead. However, he did struggle on the par-3 holes, resulting in three bogeys today.
Sean Yu believes that this Golf Course is relatively narrow, but the real difficulty lies in the greens. It's challenging to control the ball's roll, which affects putting judgment. This year, his main battleground is the TPGA TOUR, but his performances in the previous few games have not been ideal. He pointed out that his mentality this year has been slightly off, putting too much pressure on himself. He has discussed the current situation with his coach and realizes that he has been pursuing perfection excessively. He hopes to achieve good results at Suncity and carry this feeling forward, including the upcoming exam in Japan in September and the Yeangder TPC and Mercuries Taiwan Masters, two Asian Tour events held domestically.
TSAI, YU-TA, currently tied for second place, had a performance of 5 birdies and 4 bogeys today. He mentioned that his driving was good, and his putting was okay. He had several birdie opportunities but only converted 5 of them. On the 9th hole, he aimed to reach the green with his second shot but ended up in the water. On the 18th hole, he made a leftward mistake with his tee shot, getting blocked by a tree and needing to play out before reaching the green, resulting in taking 4 shots. Additionally, he didn't handle the short chips near the greens well on two holes, resulting in 4 bogeys. Regarding his performance this year, TSAI, YU-TA stated that this is his first full season since turning professional in September last year. In the previous few games, he had many chances to contend for the title but couldn't seize them. In the end, he missed out by only 2 or 3 strokes. Out of the 4 games he has played, he finished within the top four in 3 of them. He is looking forward to making a breakthrough and aiming for the championship this week.
Peng Hung-Ching, who also scored a 71 today, had two bogeys. The only bogey he encountered was on the first hole and the tenth hole, where he missed a three-foot putt to save par. He mentioned that his drives were inconsistent during practice the day before, so he adopted a slightly more conservative strategy on the course today. This approach proved effective, resulting in a decent performance without any significant ups or downs. On the other hand, CHEN MING-YI managed to earn four birdies but suffered three bogeys on the back nine, including two on short holes. Hong Chia Yuh, Huang Chi, and Chan Chia-han all finished the first round with an even-par score of 72, temporarily tied for fifth place, just two strokes behind the leader. They all have a chance to compete for the championship tomorrow.
Hong Chia Yuh had a fortunate hole-in-one on the 148-yard eighth hole today using a 9-iron. He mentioned that after hitting the ball, he watched it soar towards the green and then roll all the way into the hole after landing. As a result, he received a prize of NT$12,000 provided by the Golf Course, as well as a North Breeze Blade Fan Heater and a hole-in-one prize of NT$20,000 sponsored by SOUNDBEST INTERNATIONAL SOURCING INC., Chairman Ji Si-min. This marks Hong Chia Yuh's sixth career hole-in-one and his second achieved during a tournament. He mentioned that his first hole-in-one occurred during a competition in Thailand.
The second round of the tournament will tee off tomorrow morning at 6:35 AM, with the leading group starting at 9:05 AM from the first hole. Please note that spectators are not allowed on the course during the competition. However, there are designated viewing areas available near the first tee, tenth tee, the vicinity of the ninth and eighteenth greens, and along the roads surrounding the holes. Additionally, it is important to mention that children below a certain age are not allowed on the Golf Course, and bringing pets into the venue is strictly prohibited.
This tournament features special awards, including a Hole-in-One prize. For holes 4, 8, 12, and 14 on the Golf Course, there is a cash prize of NT$12,000 for a Hole-in-One, without a 10% tax deduction. Additionally, the Golf Course has pre-set sponsorship items that will be provided to the Hole-in-One achievers.
For the 8th hole (162 yards on the OUT section), there is a special Hole-in-One prize of NT$20,000 sponsored by Mr. Hsieh Min, Chairman of SOUNDBEST INTERNATIONAL SOURCING INC. The first player to achieve a Hole-in-One during the official competition rounds will receive this prize.
For the 12th hole (193 yards on the IN section), there is a sponsorship of one luxury watch. TUNG HUI WATCH CO. is providing an ORIS watch with a market value of NT$118,000. The first professional player to achieve a Hole-in-One during the official competition rounds will receive this prize.
There is a prize for breaking the Golf Course record:
The current record for the lowest score on the Golf Course is 65 strokes, held by Mr. Hsu Hung-Hsuan. The Golf Course offers a prize of NT$20,000 for breaking this record.
Amateur Champion's Awards:
KUO-CHU RUBBER CO., LTD. sponsors SRIXON TRI-STAR 5 golf balls for the Amateur Champion.
SHANG CHONG INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD. sponsors an OMNiX golf bag for the Amateur Champion.
ThreeBond, a multinational company specializing in adhesive products, has been the title sponsor of the TPGA Challenge Tour for the past 9 years. This year's ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour will consist of 9 events.
