April 17, 2025

The opening leg of the 2025 ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour concluded today (April 17) at Bombax Golf Country Club in Tainan, where rookie pro Hsieh Ting-wei staged a comeback victory. He delivered a bogey-free round of 68 with four birdies, finishing at a total of 138 strokes over two rounds, capturing the championship in his debut Challenge Tour event and taking home the NT$150,000 winner’s prize. Veteran Chen Tze-chung, age 67, shot an even-par 72 to finish one stroke back at 139 and claim second place with a NT$75,000 prize.

Local favorite Tang He-jun, who grew up at Bombax Golf Country Club and now trains at National Golf Country Club, shot 75 to finish at 151 (+7), winning the amateur title. His victory came with bonus prizes, including five sleeves of SRIXON Z-STAR XV balls sponsored by Dunlop Taiwan and an OMNIX golf bag sponsored by Shang Chong International Co.

First-round co-leader Liu Tse-sen carded a 75 and slipped to third place with a 140 total. Three players tied for fourth at 141: Lee Chao-chuan (68), Chan Ting-li (71), and Lee Chao-hua (74).

Hsieh Ting-wei, 25, only turned professional last September, making this his first-ever Challenge Tour appearance—and a victorious one. He is the third player in TPGA history to win his first Challenge Tour start, following Chang Wei-lun in 2015 and Wang Wei-hsuan in 2019.

Hsieh expressed gratitude to his parents for over 20 years of support and nurturing, as well as to coach Chang Chi-chun and his sponsor, Forging Golf. This is his first year as a professional, and he's thrilled to have earned his maiden win in his first Challenge Tour outing. “I’ll keep working hard to perform even better going forward,” he said.

Following the awards ceremony, a contract signing ceremony was held at Bombax Golf Country Club between ThreeBond and TPGA, marking the 11th consecutive year of ThreeBond’s title sponsorship. The event was witnessed by Challenge Tour CEO Chen Tze-chung and signed by Mr. Katsuyuki Uematsu, President of ThreeBond Hong Kong Ltd., and Mr. Chen Jung-hsing, Chairman of TPGA.

Additionally, Bombax Golf Country Club made a generous donation of NT$200,000 to TPGA to help support this year’s Taiwan Tour events. The donation was presented by Vice Director Hu Chiu-ti on behalf of the club.

Reflecting on his victory, Hsieh said his driving was especially strong over both rounds. Today, he hit all 14 fairways and maintained consistent performance throughout the round, never needing to scramble for par and hitting a high percentage of greens in regulation. Starting five shots off the lead and playing in the penultimate group, he adopted a steady, focused strategy, watching as the leaders faltered. “I just concentrated on playing one shot at a time, and it paid off,” he said.

Hsieh earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Sam Houston State University. Since turning professional last September, he has played in five Taiwan Tour events, with his best finish being 22nd at this year’s Chang Wah Open. This week marked his first Challenge Tour event.

His goals for 2025 include one win each on the Challenge Tour and Taiwan Tour, and finishing in the top 30 on the Taiwan Tour money list. “I didn’t expect to check off my Challenge Tour win so quickly,” he said. “This year, I’m fully committed to playing both tours to achieve strong results. Next year, I plan to pursue events on the Korn Ferry Tour and the Asian Tour.” He currently ranks 22nd on the Taiwan Tour money list.

Runner-up Chen Tze-chung, who shot an impressive age-matching 67 in Round 1, remained in contention from the final group today. He again delivered several highlights, finishing with three birdies and three bogeys. He noted that his missed birdie opportunities on the 9th and 10th holes—both short putts from 5 and 3 feet—cost him the chance to take the lead. “I did my best,” he said, settling for second place.

This tournament was the first stop of the 2025 ThreeBond Challenge Tour, with a total purse of NT$1 million and NT$150,000 awarded to the winner. Hosted by ThreeBond and co-sponsored by Bombax Golf Country Club, the event featured 87 professionals and 9 amateurs. The tournament did not include a cut, and prize money was awarded to the top 40 finishers after two rounds.

Bombax Golf Country Club has served as the season-opening venue for the ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour for seven consecutive years since 2019.

ThreeBond, a multinational company from Japan known for its industrial adhesives, has sponsored Chen Tze-chung for 40 years and has served as the title sponsor of the TPGA Challenge Tour for 11 years. The 2025 season will again consist of nine events.