2023/7/5

In the 6th leg of the 2023 ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour, the Yeangder Challenge Tour, held at Ta Kang Shan Golf Course in Kaohsiung, the final round took place today (5th). HSIEH MIN HSUAN shot a 69, while Lee Shih Hung scored a 70. Both players finished with a total score of 137, seven strokes under par. After a playoff, HSIEH MIN HSUAN secured his first victory in his professional career by making par on the first hole, defeating Lee Shih Hung, who made a bogey. He claimed the championship trophy and a prize money of NTD 150,000. Lee Shih Hung finished as the runner-up and received NTD 75,000 in prize money.

This victory marks 27-year-old HSIEH MIN HSUAN's first win since turning professional at the end of 2016. He expressed his happiness and gratitude to his team of friends, Taiwan TIGA, Golf Dream Taiwan, Tung Hwa Golf Club, all his coaches, and his supportive family.

WANG_SHIH_JUI (69, 70) and LIN CHENG-YU (68, 71) both finished with a total score of 139, five strokes under par, tied for the third position. FANG CHUAN WEI secured the fifth position with a score of 140 (69, 71).

Amateur player TSAI CHING YANG, trained by Taiwan Golf Club, scored a 77 today, with a total score of 151, seven strokes over par, and won the amateur championship. He is currently tied for 52nd place in the professional rankings. Additionally, he received the amateur champion's prize: a set of DUNLOP KUO-CHU sponsored SRIXON TRI-STAR 5 golf balls and a golf bag provided by SHANG CHONG INTERNATIONAL Co., Ltd.

The Ta Kang Shan Golf Course in Tianliao District, Kaohsiung, experienced scorching heat today, reaching a temperature of 34 degrees Celsius with a heat index of 38 degrees Celsius. The high temperature posed a significant challenge to the players' endurance and physical stamina.

13-year-old amateur player XIE YAO YU, trained at Ta Kang Shan Golf Course, scored 78 and 84, with a total score of 162, tying for 88th place. He is the youngest participant in the ThreeBond Challenge Tour, and his fighting spirit is commendable.

In today's round, HSIEH MIN HSUAN started one stroke behind Lee Shih Hung. After completing the front nine, both players were five strokes under par and two strokes behind LIN CHENG-YU. In the back nine, HSIEH MIN HSUAN made two bogeys on the 12th and 13th holes, but then made four birdies from the 14th to the 17th holes. Among them, both the 14th and 17th holes were par-5s, where he reached the green in two shots and made two putts. The 15th hole, a par-4, saw him sink a birdie putt from just over 3 feet. On the par-3 16th hole, he hit a direct chip shot from 10 yards and made a birdie. After completing the 17th hole, his total score was seven strokes under par, still one stroke behind Lee Shih Hung. In the final hole of regulation play, the par-4 18th hole, Lee Shih Hung's second shot missed the green and landed on a small slope on the left side. His third shot reached the green, about 11 feet away, and he took two putts to finish with a bogey. On the other hand, HSIEH MIN HSUAN's second shot also went past the green, but his third shot was executed beautifully, leaving him with a putt of about 1.5 feet. He made the par putt to tie with Lee Shih Hung, both finishing with a total score of seven strokes under par, 137.

The two players then proceeded to a playoff. The first playoff hole was played on the 18th hole, a par-4. Lee Shih Hung's tee shot veered left and hit a lamppost, bouncing into a small grove of trees on the left side, rendering the ball unplayable. After taking a penalty stroke, he finally reached the green with his third shot, about 11 feet away, and took two putts to finish with a double bogey. HSIEH MIN HSUAN's second shot successfully landed on the green, about 50 feet away from the hole. He took two putts to secure a par and the victory.

After the competition, HSIEH MIN HSUAN mentioned that in the past few years, there had been two significant opportunities for him to win championships, but he fell short on both occasions. This time, he finally secured his first professional victory, which made him extremely happy. He pointed out that he made changes to his swing posture, grip, and approach shots at the beginning of last year, which resulted in increased driving distance and iron accuracy. Now, he sees the effects of those changes, along with a mindset adjustment that contributed to his success. He said, "I used to focus too much on winning championships, but now I concentrate on the present moment and executing each shot. Even during the first playoff hole, when I felt completely exhausted, I relied on willpower to perform the necessary actions for each shot, and in the end, I succeeded!"

HSIEH MIN HSUAN mentioned that in the previous three years on the Challenge Tour, he consistently ranked between 10th and 20th place, which was satisfactory. However, when playing on the domestic tour, he often encountered psychological and technical obstacles that he struggled to overcome. This victory has given him great confidence, and he looks forward to the upcoming competitions. His goals for this year include becoming the ThreeBond Challenge Tour money leader and ranking within the top 15 in the domestic tour's annual earnings. He also hopes to achieve better results in the Asian Tour events this year.

This ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour is the second sponsored event by the Yeangder Group this year. Ta Kang Shan Golf Course has hosted the Challenge Tour in 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022, with the event canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. This year marks the sixth collaboration between the tournament and the golf course.

Mr. Lin Rui Zhang, Chairman of Taiwan Fu Hsing Industrial Co., Ltd., has increased his support this year by offering prize money of NT$500,000, NT$300,000, and NT$200,000 to the top three players in the ThreeBond Challenge Tour annual rankings.

ThreeBond is an international manufacturer specializing in adhesives, originally from Japan. They have been a long-term sponsor of the TPGA, with former TPGA Chairman Chen Tze Chung as their sponsor for 40 years. This is the 9th year that they have become the title sponsor of the TPGA Challenge Tour. The tournament is organized by ThreeBond and TPGA, with sponsorship from Yeangder Group and co-organization by Ta Kang Shan Golf Course.

Media Contacts:

Wu Bin Yang - 0936-104-481

Sunny Liu - 0936-198-346

Photo credits: TPGA provided by Lin Sheng Kai Photography.