2024/10/29

The 2024 ThreeBond Fu Hsing Challenge, with a total prize fund of TWD 1 million, held its first round today (29th) at the Kaohsiung Golf and Country Club. In excellent form, Huang Yi Tseng and Hung Chao-Hsin each shot a 5-under-par 67 to share the lead. Both players received the lowest round bonus of TWD 20,000 and are set for a final showdown tomorrow.

Host course player Wang Sheng-hui scored 69, placing him solo third by two strokes. Fellow club player Chang Chien Ko-Yen and this season's four-time Challenge Tour champion Su Ching-hung both scored 70, sharing fourth place, three strokes off the lead.

Su Ching-hung, currently leading the ThreeBond Challenge Tour prize money standings, aims for a fifth title to set a new tour record. Meanwhile, Huang Yi Tseng and Wang Sheng-hui are competing for their second Challenge Tour win, while Hung Chao-Hsin and Chang Chien Ko-Yen are in pursuit of their first professional victories.

Amateur Hsieh Yao-yu leads the amateur field with a score of 74, tying for 20th on the overall leaderboard. This two-round, 36-hole no-cut tournament features 87 players, including 78 professionals and nine amateurs from Taiwan and South Africa, competing for the champion’s trophy and the top prize of TWD 150,000.

Huang Yi Tseng, who became a father just eight days ago, attributed his recent good fortune to his exceptional play today, where his drives, irons, and putts all came together. He finished with seven birdies and two bogeys, marking his personal best on the Kaohsiung course. His longest birdie putt was a 15-footer on the 1st hole, while the others were within 12 feet; he noted five additional birdie opportunities within 16 feet.

Huang hit 28 putts, missing only one fairway and four greens in regulation. He previously won his first title at the 2020 Southern Taiwan Challenge at the Xinyi course.

Hung Chao-Hsin also recorded seven birdies and two bogeys today, with accurate iron play and putting, including two long birdie putts of 20 and 24 feet on holes 7 and 14, and a 17-yard chip-in on hole 16. Hung aims to maintain today’s rhythm in pursuit of his first professional title tomorrow.

Wang Sheng-hui carded four birdies and one bogey, with each birdie falling within six feet. Despite missing five birdie putts within 11 feet, Wang displayed solid tee shots and iron play, hitting 14 greens with 29 putts. He hopes to read the greens more clearly tomorrow, aiming for steady improvement.

Chang Chien Ko-Yen made seven birdies but offset them with two double bogeys and one bogey, ending with a front-nine 32 and back-nine 38. Though his iron and putting were sharp, he struggled on hole 10 and hole 15 due to tee shot and chipping errors, resulting in double bogeys.

Four-time champion Su Ching-hung, battling toe blisters, recorded two bogeys on the front nine and scored four birdies on the back, including a 21-footer on hole 2 and a 15-footer on hole 6. He mentioned recent challenges reading greens on the back nine, affecting his putting accuracy.

Tomorrow’s final round will begin simultaneously from the 1st and 10th tees, with the first group teeing off at 7:00 a.m. and the final group at 9:05 a.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 2:00 p.m.

The tournament is organized by Taiwan Fu Hsing Industrial Co., Ltd., with title sponsorship from ThreeBond, hosted by TPGA, and supported by Kaohsiung Golf and Country Club.

Since 2018, Taiwan Fu Hsing has partnered first with Polaris Group, then with Ming An International and Ming Yang Technology, before becoming sole sponsor in 2019. This year marks Taiwan Fu Hsing’s seventh consecutive year sponsoring the ThreeBond Challenge. Chairman Lin Rui-chang continues to support the TPGA Taiwan Tour and ThreeBond Challenge Tour, offering a bonus pool of TWD 2 million for the top three players in each tour ranking.

The ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour, now in its 10th year of ThreeBond title sponsorship, will hold nine events in 2024. The top three in total prize standings earn direct eligibility for next year’s Taiwan Tour.

Special Prizes:

• Hole-in-One Prize: TWD 100,000 per occurrence on holes 6, 9, 12, and 14, sponsored by Chairman Lin Rui-chang. If no hole-in-one occurs, the amount will be raffled as ten TWD 10,000 prizes at the awards ceremony.

• Kaohsiung Course Prize: TWD 20,000, ten green fee vouchers, and sponsor items for hole-in-ones.

• ORIS Watch on Hole 9: Valued at TWD 118,000 for the first professional scoring a hole-in-one on the 9th hole, sponsored by Tung Hui Watch Co.

• Lowest Score per Round: TWD 20,000 per round for the lowest professional score, sponsored by Chairman Lin Rui-chang.

• Course Record Prize: TWD 20,000 for breaking the course record of 65, sponsored by Chairman Chen Jian-fu.

• Player Raffle Prizes: Yuan Shan Home Appliances sponsors items, including an RO water purifier and two multifunctional wireless floor cleaners.

• Amateur Champion Prizes: DUNLOP Srixon Co. provides five SRIXON Z-STAR XV golf balls and Shang Chong International sponsors an OMNIX golf bag.

Spectators may attend free of charge but must sign a waiver and remain on the cart paths; carts and shuttles are not available between holes.

ThreeBond, a Japanese adhesives manufacturer, has sponsored TPGA for 40 years and remains the title sponsor of the TPGA Challenge Tour for the 10th consecutive year.