2024/10/30
The 2024 ThreeBond Fu Hsing Challenge, with a total prize fund of TWD 1 million, concluded its final round today (30th) at Kaohsiung Golf and Country Club. Showing strength under favorable circumstances, Huang Yi Tseng managed to hold his lead despite a strong back-nine surge by his main competitor, Hung Chao-Hsin. Huang finished the round with five birdies and no bogeys, carding a 5-under-par 67 for a two-round total of 134, 10 under par, securing the championship by a three-stroke margin. He claimed the winner's trophy, a top prize of TWD 150,000, and an additional TWD 20,000 for today’s lowest score—a triple celebration.
This victory marks Huang’s fourth ThreeBond Challenge Tour win, with previous titles from the 2019 Orient Daystar Challenge (Orient Daystar Course), the 2020 Southern Taiwan Challenge (Xinyi Course), and the 2022 Ming An Challenge (Xinyi Course).
Hung Chao-Hsin shot a 2-under 70 today, finishing at 137 for two rounds, 7 under par, taking second place and a prize of TWD 75,000.
Host course player Wang Sheng-hui posted a 70, ending with a two-round total of 139 to secure third place, while Hsiao Ho-Yu shot a 69, finishing fourth with a total of 140.
Fourteen-year-old Hsieh Yao-yu scored a 72, ending with a two-round total of 146 to win the amateur title, tying for 10th overall among professionals. Hsieh received the champion’s bonus of five SRIXON Z-STAR XV golf balls, sponsored by DUNLOP Japan Srixon Co., and an OMNIX golf bag from Shang Chong International. Currently a student at Kaohsiung Yangming Junior High, Hsieh trains at Kaohsiung Dagangshan Golf Club.
Huang Yi Tseng expressed special gratitude to the Yant Der Group and TaylorMade, as well as to his family and wife. Just last week, he welcomed his first child, attributing his recent good fortune to his new role as a father, which seemed to fuel both his performance and mindset today. He and Hung Chao-Hsin both began the round at 5 under par.
On the front nine, Huang scored two birdies for a 34, while Hung managed two birdies and one bogey, scoring 35, leaving Huang with a one-stroke lead. The tension mounted on the back nine as Hung birdied the par-5 10th hole with a 5-foot putt, tying the score. He then birdied the par-5 13th to take a one-stroke lead. However, Huang responded with a 14-foot birdie putt on the par-4 15th to tie again. He continued with back-to-back 5-foot birdies on the 17th and 18th holes, while Hung bogeyed the 18th, leaving Huang to secure the title by three strokes.
Post-tournament, Huang noted that his short game was instrumental in his victory, helping him save par and gain the lead on several holes, including a 17-yard chip-in birdie on the 2nd hole, a one-putt birdie from the fringe on the 3rd hole, and a pivotal 14-foot birdie on the 15th hole. He also credited crucial par saves on holes 10, 13, and 16 with putts between 4 and 5 feet.
His strategy for the day was to prioritize hitting the fairway with his tee shots to set up chances on the greens and aggressively aim for birdies when possible. Reflecting on his approach during the tense final holes, Huang said that while his irons were slightly less accurate, staying focused on each shot allowed him to finish with consecutive birdies for the win.
Huang has competed on both the China and Taiwan tours alongside the ThreeBond Challenge Tour this season, marking his best result this year with a third-place finish at the Sanya Open in April. He looks forward to upcoming events, including the Ambassador ADT Open and the ThreeBond Challenge Tour finale. Next year, he plans to continue competing on both the China and Taiwan tours.
The event, organized by Taiwan Fu Hsing Industrial Co., Ltd., with title sponsorship from ThreeBond, and hosted by TPGA in collaboration with Kaohsiung Golf and Country Club, marks Taiwan Fu Hsing’s seventh consecutive year sponsoring the ThreeBond Challenge since it became the sole sponsor in 2019.
Chairman Lin Rui-chang has also continued his sponsorship of the TPGA Taiwan Tour and ThreeBond Challenge Tour Order of Merit titles, offering a total bonus of TWD 2 million to the top three players in each ranking. This includes TWD 500,000, TWD 300,000, and TWD 200,000 for the first, second, and third positions, respectively. This year marks the sixth consecutive year of Taiwan Fu Hsing’s support for these Order of Merit bonuses.
This event is the 8th in the 2024 ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour, providing one last opportunity to compete for the Order of Merit title and top three prize money rankings before the season finale in late November. The top three in the overall prize standings will earn direct entry into next year’s Taiwan Tour.
Chairman Lin Rui-chang of Taiwan Fu Hsing Industrial Co. offered hole-in-one prizes for four par-3 holes, with TWD 100,000 awarded per hole. However, as no hole-in-ones were recorded during the tournament, Chairman Lin provided the TWD 100,000 fund as a raffle during the awards ceremony, distributing ten prizes of TWD 10,000 each to the players. Later, Chairman Lin added another TWD 100,000, resulting in a total of TWD 200,000, with 20 players each receiving TWD 10,000.
Additionally, Yuan Shan Home Appliances sponsored items for the player raffle, including one RO water purifier and two multifunctional wireless floor cleaners.
ThreeBond, a global company from Japan specializing in adhesives, has been a long-time supporter of TPGA, sponsoring former TPGA President Chen Zhi-zhong for 40 years. This year marks the 10th consecutive year that ThreeBond has served as the title sponsor of the TPGA Challenge Tour, which will feature nine events in total.
