2025/6/9

The third stop of the 2025 ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour—the HWAN TAI Challenge Tour—will begin tomorrow (June 10) at Nan-Tou Golf & Country Club in Nantou. The two-round, 36-hole tournament will feature 92 professional players (including 2 amateurs) competing for the championship trophy and a top prize of NT$150,000. The event will not have a cut. Prize money will be awarded to the top 40 players (including ties) after the two rounds. Bombax leg winner Hsieh Ting-wei will be seeking his second title.

This two-day, 36-hole competition is the third event of the 2025 season for the ThreeBond Challenge Tour, with a total purse of NT$1 million. This marks the first time HWAN TAI Cement Production Company is the single-event title sponsor of a Challenge Tour event, and it is also the first time Nan-Tou Golf & Country Club is co-hosting. The event is jointly organized by ThreeBond and The PGA of Taiwan (TPGA). However, HWAN TAI Cement had previously served as the single-event title sponsor of the NT$3 million HWAN TAI Open on the Taiwan Tour for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023. HWAN TAI Cement Chairman Lee Shih-pin has also long supported many men’s professional golf events in the Taichung area.

Today, June 9, the tournament kicked off with an 18-hole Pro-Am event, featuring 12 professionals paired with more than 30 amateur participants from the general public. Honorary guests for the ceremonial tee-off included HWAN TAI Cement Chairman Lee Shih-pin, ThreeBond Hong Kong Taiwan Branch Manager Hirokazu Taichi, Nan-Tou Golf & Country Club Chairman Lin Jui-pin, and TPGA Chairman Chen Jung-hsing.

Nan-Tou Golf & Country Club was originally designed and constructed by Taiwan’s “Father of Golf” Chen Chin-shih. The first nine holes were completed in 1980 (ROC Year 69), and the full 18 holes were finished in 1982 (ROC Year 71). The course is located on the Songboling Plateau in Nantou, nestled in the Bagua Mountain Range, offering sweeping panoramic views of surrounding mountains such as Jiji Dashan, Yushan, Xitou, and even Hehuanshan. The scenery is both majestic and refreshing. Although the vistas are broad, the fairways are narrow, with trees lining both sides and undulating terrain. The course’s elevation changes make shot distance and direction control particularly challenging for players.

The total course length for the tournament is 6,852 yards. Tee-off times for both rounds will begin at 6:30 AM.

ThreeBond, a multinational enterprise originating in Japan and specializing in industrial adhesives, has served as the title sponsor of the TPGA Challenge Tour for 11 consecutive years. The 2025 ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour will again feature 9 events this season.

This tournament includes the following special awards (applicable to both rounds on June 10–11):

Hole-in-One Prizes:

Holes 4, 6, 13, and 17 – NT$12,000 cash prizes provided by Nan-Tou Golf & Country Club, along with pre-designated sponsored gifts from the club.

Hole 17 (the 8th hole of the IN course, 190 yards) – A luxury ORIS watch valued at NT$122,800, provided by Tung Hui Watch Company.

Awarded to the first professional player who scores a hole-in-one on this hole during the two official rounds.

Course Record Prize:

For breaking the course record of 67 strokes – NT$20,000 awarded by the club.

Top Amateur Prizes:

– 5 dozen SRIXON Z-STAR XV golf balls sponsored by DUNLOP Kokuju Co.

– One OMNIX golf bag sponsored by Shang Chong International Co., Ltd.

This event is closed to spectators on the course. Viewing areas are limited to the tee boxes of holes 1 and 10, and the areas surrounding the greens of holes 9 and 18. For safety reasons, children under the age of six and pets are strongly advised not to enter the course.