2025 ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour

Round 1

2025/6/19

The 2025 ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour continued today (June 19) with the opening round at Wufeng Golf Course in Taichung. Lin Ta-yu fired a five-under 67 to take the solo lead, followed by Tseng Tzu-hsuan with a 68, one stroke behind. Chang Ting-chia sits in third place with a 69. Tsai Kai-jen, Lee Jui-shen, and Hsieh Ting-wei all shot 70, tying for fourth and trailing the leader by three shots. The final round will be held tomorrow, with the winner receiving NT$150,000.

Tsai Kai-jen is aiming for his third Challenge Tour title, Lee Jui-shen is chasing back-to-back victories after winning the HWAN TAI Challenge Tour at Songboling on June 11, and Bombax leg champion Hsieh Ting-wei is seeking his second title. Other top contenders are all looking to claim their first career win.

Lin Ta-yu carded five birdies with no bogeys today, showing solid performance in his driving, iron play, and putting. All five of his birdie putts were within six feet, and he hit 15 greens in regulation with only 28 putts. He birdied the par-5 9th and 12th holes with chip-and-putt combinations from 4 feet, and added birdies on the par-4 10th and 14th holes from six feet and tap-in range. He also birdied the par-3 2nd hole with a six-foot putt.

He noted there were a few missed birdie opportunities, such as 6-foot putts on the 11th and 17th holes. “I played this course as an amateur when I was younger, but I haven't been back in a long time, so I’m not very familiar with it. The terrain is very undulating, and the greens are smooth, fast, and steep—it’s definitely challenging,” he said.

Tseng Tzu-hsuan also hit 15 greens in regulation today, with perfect accuracy from holes 10 to 18. He finished with six birdies and two bogeys, including birdies on three par-5 holes. He narrowly missed an eagle putt from 24 feet on the 12th but secured the birdie easily. His longest birdie putt came on the 16th from 15 feet. However, he also missed three birdie chances inside 15 feet.

He admitted his putting wasn’t ideal with 31 putts. “I didn’t practice yesterday, and this is my first time playing Wufeng Golf Course. I think I was just lucky to play this well. Hopefully, I can finally win tomorrow and break my streak of finishing second.”

Chang Ting-chia had five birdies and two bogeys today, with exceptional iron play—hitting 16 greens in regulation—but slightly weaker putting with 32 putts. His longest birdie putt was a 23-footer on the 14th, and he also made a 17-footer on the 8th. However, he three-putted on the par-3 17th to card a bogey. Chang turned pro in early 2019 and has played on the ThreeBond Challenge Tour for seven years. He currently teaches at Ding Feng driving range in Taichung.

Tsai Kai-jen, who missed out on retaining his Taiwan Tour seed last year due to injury, has been grinding it out on the Challenge Tour this season. He had a rollercoaster round today with one eagle, four birdies, and two bogeys. On the par-5 9th hole, his third shot from 20 yards out dropped in for an eagle. However, on the 10th hole, he pulled his tee shot left and went OB, resulting in a double bogey. His two longest birdie putts came on the 15th (30 feet) and 2nd (21 feet).

He mentioned he only used his driver on three holes, preferring to tee off with a 2- or 3-iron. “My tee shots were still a bit off, but thankfully my chipping and putting saved me,” he said. On the par-5 12th hole, after a poor tee shot forced him to punch back to the fairway, he chipped from 40 yards to 12 feet and saved par with a single putt.

Fresh off his first career win at the HWAN TAI Challenge Tour on June 11, Lee Jui-shen carded three birdies and one bogey today. He also used irons off the tee on most holes, using his driver only three times, and hit 11 fairways and 15 greens. However, he found the greens very challenging, describing them as “steep and with heavy grain.” He ended up with 31 putts. On the par-5 15th, his third shot ended up behind the green, but he made two putts from 24 feet to save par—one of his best holes of the day.

April 17th Bombax leg champion Hsieh Ting-wei hit 13 fairways and 16 greens today, but also struggled with putting, needing 32 putts. “I made a 21-foot birdie on the 1st hole—that was my longest make. But after that, I missed a bunch of birdie putts from 3 to 6 feet. By the end, I had no confidence left in my putting,” he said. He made four birdies but had one major error—he found the water on the par-4 7th and ended up with a double bogey.

Tomorrow, Lin Ta-yu, Tseng Tzu-hsuan, and Chang Ting-chia will tee off in the final group, with Tsai Kai-jen, Lee Jui-shen, and Hsieh Ting-wei just ahead in the penultimate group. A fierce battle is expected.

This is a two-round, 36-hole event featuring 84 professional players (including 3 amateurs), with no cut. Prize money will be awarded to the top 40 players (including ties) after both rounds.

This is the fourth event of the 2025 ThreeBond Challenge Tour season, with a total purse of NT$1 million. The event is co-hosted by ThreeBond and The PGA of Taiwan and marks Wufeng Golf Course’s debut as a Challenge Tour host venue.

The total yardage for this tournament is 6,505 yards. Located in Wufeng District, Taichung City, Wufeng Golf Course was designed in accordance with the original mountainous terrain. Long holes are placed on gentle slopes while shorter holes are positioned in valleys or areas with steep or unique terrain. The course layout fully utilizes the natural landscape. Although it suffered damage during the 921 Earthquake, the redesigned Wufeng course is now even more challenging, with narrow fairways, abundant OB and red-stake hazards, requiring players to exhibit both accuracy and strategic thinking to post a good score.

In 2009, Wufeng became the first golf course in Taiwan to be certified by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program. Since then, the course has followed Audubon guidelines to reduce pesticide and fertilizer use, restore local ecosystems, and promote wildlife conservation, offering a natural and healthy environment.

Tomorrow’s final round will feature simultaneous tee times from the 1st and 10th tees starting at 6:30 a.m. The final group tees off at 8:40 a.m., with the tournament expected to finish by 2:00 p.m., followed by the award ceremony.

ThreeBond, a multinational company from Japan specializing in industrial adhesives, has served as the title sponsor of the TPGA Challenge Tour for 11 years. The 2025 ThreeBond Challenge Tour features nine events.

Special prizes for this tournament (Rounds 1–2 on June 19–20) include:

Hole-in-One Prizes:

• Holes 2, 4, 13, and 17: NT$12,000 in cash and sponsor-provided prizes from Wufeng Golf Course.

• Hole 4 (219 yards, OUT No. 4): One ORIS watch valued at NT$122,800 provided by Tung Hui Watch Co.
  (Awarded to the first professional player to score a hole-in-one during official play.)

Amateur Champion Bonus Prizes:

• 5 dozen SRIXON Z-STAR XV balls sponsored by Dunlop Taiwan.

• One OMNIX golf bag sponsored by Shang Chung International Co., Ltd.

The course is closed to the public during the event. Spectators may only view from the tee boxes of Holes 1 and 10 and the greens of Holes 9 and 18. For safety reasons, children under 6 and pets are not permitted on the course.