2025/6/11
The final round of the 2025 ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour’s third leg—the HWAN TAI Challenge Tour—was held today (June 11) at Songboling Golf Course in Nantou. Rookie professional Lee Jui-shen, who started the day one stroke behind the leader, carded eight birdies and three bogeys for a five-under 67. With a two-round total of 137, seven under par, he claimed his first career victory by three strokes and took home the NT$150,000 champion’s prize.
Wu Yao-wei also shot a 67 with just 23 putts, while Lee Cho-chuan and Tsai Kai-jen shot 69 and 70 respectively. The three players tied for second at 140, four under par, each earning NT$55,000 in prize money.
Chiang Yi-an shot a 67, Hsieh Ting-wei a 70, and Hsu Li-peng a 71; all three finished at 141 and shared fifth place.
The 24-year-old Lee Jui-shen, who only turned professional in September last year, was thrilled to claim his first victory. In his victory speech, he gave special thanks to his home course Nan Feng Golf Club and Chairman Yang, as well as Mizuno Taiwan’s General Manager Chou, all of whom supported him during his amateur years. He also thanked his sponsors—Bro Nation Socks (Chairman Liu and Chairman Chang), MEGA sleeves, and his coach Chao Hsun-ting. To them he said, “I did it!”
He said he felt good today. Though he started one shot behind, he seized birdie opportunities on the front nine: a chip and 6-foot putt for birdie on the par-5 1st; a 30-foot birdie putt on the 2nd; and two birdies on the par-3 4th and 6th holes with putts from 9 and 12 feet. He carded four birdies for a 32 and moved into a one-shot lead. After an OK-range birdie on the 10th, he made back-to-back bogeys on the 11th and 12th due to mistakes with his irons and putting, bringing him into a tie at five under with two other players.
He admitted he started to feel anxious at that point and sensed the pressure from other players closing the gap. He reminded himself there were still plenty of holes left, took a water break to calm down, and went on to make three more birdies and one bogey over the final six holes, finishing the back nine with a 35. From the 13th onward, he regained the lead and held it as no one else managed to catch up. He only realized he was two strokes ahead when he reached the 18th green and saw the scoreboard. He was still nervous as he lined up his final birdie putt—but he made it, sealing his win in style.
Lee has been playing golf for 12 years, starting serious training at age 12. He is a graduate of the National Taiwan University of Sport and came up through Nan Feng Golf Club. As a native of Xiluo, he lives just over 40 minutes from Songboling and practiced there often as a child, so he is very familiar with the course. He noted, however, that the course layout has been significantly changed and improved in recent years. In October 2022, he won the Open Division title at the CTGA’s seasonal tournament.
He shared that in his rookie season this year, his only goal was to maintain a good mindset and play well in each event. He had a chance to win the season opener at Bombax after leading the first round, but couldn’t close it out in the final round. Now, he has finally made his breakthrough. His next goal is to claim a title on the Taiwan Tour.
This tournament was played over two rounds (36 holes) and featured 92 professional players (including 2 amateurs), competing for the trophy and winner’s prize. The tournament had no cut, and prize money was awarded to the top 40 players (including ties) after both rounds.
This two-day, 36-hole competition is the third event of the 2025 ThreeBond Challenge Tour, with a total purse of NT$1 million. It was the first time HWAN TAI Cement Products Company served as a single-event title sponsor for a Challenge Tour event, and also the first time Songboling Golf Course co-hosted. The event was co-organized by ThreeBond and The PGA of Taiwan. From 2021 to 2023, HWAN TAI Cement had served as title sponsor for the NT$3 million Taiwan Tour HWAN TAI Open for three consecutive years, and Chairman Lee Shih-pin of HWAN TAI has long supported many men’s professional events in the Taichung region.
Songboling Golf Course in Nantou County was originally designed and built by Taiwan’s “Father of Golf” Chen Chin-shih, with the front nine completed in 1980 and the full 18 holes finished in 1982. Located on the Songboling Plateau in the Bagua Mountain Range, the course offers sweeping views of surrounding peaks including Jiji Dashan, Yushan, Xitou, and even Hehuanshan. The course is scenic and elevated, but the fairways are narrow, lined with trees, and feature rolling terrain with steep elevation changes. Players face serious challenges in judging distance and direction. The total length for this event was 6,852 yards.
ThreeBond, a multinational corporation originating in Japan and specializing in industrial adhesives, has served as the title sponsor of the TPGA Challenge Tour for 11 years. The 2025 ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour will again include nine events.
