2024/9/19

The first round of the 2024 ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour took place today at Suncity Golf Club in Kansai. Hsu Mong Nan, Hsu Yu Cheng, and Lin Wei each scored a 4-under 68, tying for the lead. This marks the first time that Hsu Mong Nan has led alongside his son in the ThreeBond Challenge Tour and also the first time they will be in the final leading group on the last day competing for the championship.

Chang Chien Ko Yen and Liu Tse-Sen both scored 70, two strokes behind, tying for fourth place. Hui Hung Chen and Ian Chiang both shot 71, tying for sixth place, and are also in contention for the title tomorrow.

Among the nine amateur players, Wang Sih-Hsien, Wen Hsin, and Hsieh Ping-Han all shot 78, the best among amateurs, tying for 58th place on the professional leaderboard.

Hsu Mong Nan, who recently turned 50 and has started participating in the Senior Tour, modestly said, "I was just lucky to shoot 68 today!" However, when asked about his mindset competing against his son for the title tomorrow, he said, "I won't go easy on him! I'm going all out to win!"

Hsu Mong Nan made five consecutive birdies on his back nine (holes 5-9), the longest birdie streak today, a feat he hasn't achieved in over 10 years. He made eight birdies in total today, the most of any player.

Hsu Mong Nan’s eight birdies started with three on his front nine (holes 10-18), then he made two 2-foot birdie putts on holes 10 and 11, and a 3-foot birdie putt on the par-5 16th hole. After turning, he bogeyed the first three holes (1-3) with a bogey, double bogey, and bogey, respectively. He especially struggled on hole 2 with a misjudged chip and a three-putt, resulting in a double bogey and losing four strokes. However, he made a remarkable comeback on the last five holes: on hole 5, his ball bounced off the road and landed near the green, setting up a birdie; on hole 6, he reached the green in two and two-putted for birdie; he sank a 20-foot birdie putt on hole 7, made a 3-foot birdie putt on the short hole 8, and finished with a 9-foot birdie putt on the par-5 ninth hole. He commented that his putting and iron shots were good today, with only 26 putts and only two missed fairways.

He mentioned that it had been over 10 years since he last made five consecutive birdies, recalling that he scored five birdies in a row at Shandong Ocean Xiubao Golf Club, where he shot a 64 that day.

His son, Hsu Yu Cheng, also performed well today with one eagle, four birdies, and two bogeys. On the par-5 18th hole, he made an eagle by chipping in from 32 yards. He made birdie putts on the 4th and 11th holes from 6 feet, on the 5th hole from 15 feet, and reached the green in two on the par-5 6th hole for another birdie. His two bogeys were due to inaccurate iron shots and missed par putts from 9-12 feet.

He stated that his driver performance was satisfactory today, but his irons were not ideal, while his short game was good, and putting was the best with 25 putts. He mentioned that he has been working on changing his swing style from last year to this year and is still adapting to it, feeling better with each round.

Lin Wei’s driving and iron play were good today, scoring six birdies and two bogeys. He made birdies on both the par-5 6th and 18th holes by reaching the green in two and two-putting. He also made birdies on the short 8th and 14th holes, with the most impressive birdie being a 33-foot putt on hole 8.

He successfully hit 9 fairways and 16 greens in regulation, but his putting was not ideal, with 32 putts in total. He said today's execution was better than before, allowing him to score well.

Chang Chien Ko Yen made one eagle, three birdies, and three bogeys today. On the par-5 16th hole, he hit his second shot from 185 yards to the green with a 7-iron, setting up an easy eagle. He also made birdies on the par-5 9th and 18th holes. He mentioned that his driving and iron shots were consistent today, but his putting was not good with 32 putts. "It was difficult to control the approach shot to the green, so I tried to place the ball in front of the green."

Liu Tse-Sen made seven birdies and five bogeys. He mentioned that it started raining on the 17th hole, and due to heavy rain, there was a 20-minute delay on the 18th hole before play resumed. By the end of the round, he was soaked. His driving was decent today, and his iron shots, chipping, and putting were average, with the best moments being birdie putts of 18 feet on hole 15 and 15 feet on hole 17, as well as birdies on the par-5 6th and 9th holes.

The tournament is organized by ThreeBond and TPGA, with Suncity Golf Club co-hosting. This is the sixth event of this year's TPGA ThreeBond Challenge Tour, with a total prize fund of NT$1,000,000 and a winner's prize of NT$150,000. There are 96 participants in total, including two Taiwan Tour seeds, 85 professional players (one from South Africa), and nine amateurs. After two rounds, there is no cut, and the top 40 will receive prize money.

Today, the weather at the course was mostly sunny and humid in the morning, but heavy rain started at 1:00 PM, lasting for over an hour. As the "Preferred Lies" rule was not in effect today, the last few groups were slightly affected on the final one or two holes, but they still managed to complete 18 holes successfully.

The course is 6,812 yards long, with well-maintained fairways and greens. The rough around the greens poses a challenge, making approach shots demanding.

Tomorrow's second round will start at 6:30 AM, with the leading group teeing off from the first hole at 8:42 AM. During the tournament, spectators are not allowed on the course except in designated areas: near the tee boxes of holes 1 and 10, the greens of holes 9 and 18, and around the course’s roads.

There are special prizes for this event:

Hole-in-One Prize
Holes 4, 8, 12, and 14 offer a prize of NT$12,000, with no 10% tax deduction required. Additional sponsored products will also be given to hole-in-one winners.

Hole 12 (193 yards, IN Area Hole 3)
Sponsored by TUNG HUI WATCH CO. A watch worth NT$118,000 will be awarded to the first player to make a hole-in-one during the two official rounds. This prize is only available to professional players.

Course Record Prize
The course record is 65 strokes, held by Hsu Hung Hsuan. A prize of NT$20,000 will be awarded for breaking this record.

Amateur Champion Prize
Sponsored by DUNLOP KUO-CHU RUBBER CO.,LTD., the amateur champion will receive five sets of SRIXON Z-STAR XV golf balls. Sponsored by Shang Chong International Co., Ltd., the amateur champion will also receive an OMNiX golf bag.

ThreeBond, a Japanese multinational company specializing in adhesives, has been the title sponsor of the TPGA Challenge Tour for 10 years. This year’s ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour still features nine events.