The fifth leg of the 2025 ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour — the Yeangder Challenge — teed off today (July 10) at Suncity Golf Club in Guanxi, Hsinchu. Hung Chien-yao, having recently switched to a full set of new irons, found his rhythm and shot a 7-under 65 to take the solo lead. Chang Chien Ko-yen followed closely with a 67, trailing by two shots. Tsai Chen-kai, Lin Ta-yu, and Lee Shih-hung all carded 69s and are currently tied for third, setting up a final-round showdown tomorrow for the NT$150,000 champion’s purse and trophy.
Among the seven amateurs, Liao Chung-han recorded the best score with a 77, tying for 57th on the professional leaderboard. Chiu Tzu-jui and Hsieh Kun-lin each posted 78s, tied for 66th.
Although it rained from morning until the end of play at the Suncity course in Guanxi, the rainfall was light and did not affect the fairways or greens, which remained in good condition. The course plays to a total of 6,812 yards.
Tomorrow's final round will begin with players teeing off simultaneously from holes 1 and 10. The first group will start at 6:30 AM and the final group at 9:05 AM. The award ceremony is scheduled for shortly after the conclusion of play at 2:00 PM.
Hung Chien-yao, a TPGA Tour seed player, recorded eight birdies and one bogey today. He said he replaced his full set of irons and driver with Mizuno clubs. After a practice round yesterday, today marked his first full 18-hole round with the new set, and it felt great. “It’s been a while since I played this course, and with the new clubs, I was very focused and really enjoyed the feeling and atmosphere of swinging again!”
Since late last year, he had been working on adjusting both his swing and mindset. While his mental game was coming together, his swing still felt off. After consulting with his coach and club technician, he decided to make a full equipment change and use this two-round event to test the new clubs. The result? He regained his feel. Most of his birdies were a combination of sharp iron shots and consistent putting, with birdie putts typically in the 12–15 foot range, while holes 7 and 8 yielded closer 4–6 footers. His best hole was the par-5 18th, where a sub-100-yard third shot left him 14 feet for birdie, which he sank. His only bogey came on hole 1, due to a slight misjudgment with a short iron.
His stats: 12 fairways hit, 16 greens in regulation, and 27 putts. After his round, he gave special thanks to his wife. They had planned a vacation this week, but after missing the cut in last week’s TPGA event, she fully supported his decision to stay and test new clubs in this challenge event instead.
Chang Chien Ko-yen had a bogey-free round with five birdies, including three on par-5s where he got up-and-down with one chip and one putt. The other two birdies came on par-4s, with the longest being a 15-foot putt on hole 13. He only missed one fairway and hit 14 greens, also with 27 putts.
He noted that this event marks his seventh consecutive appearance in both TPGA Tour and Challenge Tour events. The benefit is the constant game sharpening week after week, but last week, the fatigue caught up with him and he failed to make the cut. However, the break allowed him to recover, and today he was back to full form.
Tsai Chen-kai carded a clean round of three birdies and no bogeys, with solid performance across all clubs. His highlight was a 21-foot birdie putt on the par-5 6th. He also made 12-foot birdies on holes 2 and 10. He commented that although he had 30 putts today, “it’s much better than before — in the previous tournaments I’d often have 36 or 37 putts!” He also missed three other birdie chances today.
He attributed the improvement not only to more putting practice but also to refining his chipping and stroke tempo, especially in his backswing mechanics.
Lin Ta-yu and Lee Shih-hung, both winners of the previous Challenge Tour stop at Wu Fong Golf Course, posted identical rounds of five birdies and two bogeys. Their tee shots and iron play were solid throughout. Lin hit 13 greens and took 27 putts. Besides birdies on two par-5s, he also sank two 9-foot birdie putts.
Lee Shih-hung made birdies on three par-5s, with his longest on hole 18 — a 15-foot putt following a solid third shot to the green. His other birdies on par-4s were within 4 feet. He had 31 putts in total.
This is a two-round, 36-hole event with NT$1 million in total prize money. The champion will receive NT$150,000, runner-up NT$75,000, and third place NT$50,000. A total of 96 players are competing — 89 professionals and 7 amateurs. There is no cut after round one; after round two, prize money will be awarded to the top 40 finishers.
Mr. Lin Jui-chang, Chairman of Fu-Hsing Industrial Co., Ltd., continues to sponsor bonus prizes for the year-end Challenge Tour standings, with NT$500,000, NT$300,000, and NT$200,000 awarded to the top three players, respectively.
Special Prizes during the event:
Hole-in-One Bonus:
NT$12,000 plus sponsor prizes provided by the course, valid on holes 4, 8, 12, and 14.
Hole 12 — Sponsored by Tung Hui Watch Co.:
One Oris watch valued at NT$122,800 for the first hole-in-one on hole 12 during official rounds (July 10–11), limited to professional players.
Course Record Bonus (Current Record: 65 by Hsu Hung-hsuan):
NT$12,000 prize for breaking the course record.
Top Amateur Prize:
Sponsored by Dunlop (Kokusu Co.): One dozen Srixon Z-Star XV balls and an OMNIX golf bag sponsored by Shang Chong International Co.
Spectator Guidelines:
Spectators are not allowed on the course during the tournament. Viewing is limited to the vicinity of tees on holes 1 and 10, and the greens on holes 9 and 18. Children under age 6 and pets are not permitted on-site.
ThreeBond is a Japanese international manufacturer known for industrial adhesives and has sponsored former TPGA Chairman Chen Chih-chung for over 40 years. This year marks the 11th consecutive year that ThreeBond has been the title sponsor of the TPGA Challenge Tour. This event is co-hosted by the Yeangder Group and Suncity Golf Club.
