2026 CHAU-SHI Series Chasing Dreams Open Round 1 September 1, 2026 The seventh event of the 2026 CHAU-SHI Series—the Chasing Dreams Open, featuring a total prize purse of NT$3 million—officially commenced today (September 1) at The Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club. American player Shotaro Ban and Taiwan's Li Jui-shen both carded an eagle and seven birdies with zero bogeys, shooting a 9-under-par 63 to share the early lead. Chan Shih-chang sits in second place after firing a 65. Four other players—Chen Yu-yu, Hung Chien-yao, Chan Chia-han, and Shapiyate Mako—are tied for fourth place at 6-under-par 66. The four-round, 72-hole tournament runs through September 4, featuring 133 players (124 professionals and 9 amateurs) from five countries: Canada, Japan, Thailand, the United States, and Taiwan. The champion will take home NT$500,000, and the runner-up will earn NT$250,000. The tournament is title-sponsored individually by Wong Chau-shi, Honorary Chairman of the Mercuries Group. The Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club and Green Forest Enterprise Co., Ltd. serve as co-title sponsors, with the Taiwan Professional Golf Association (TPGA) as the organizer and The Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club as the co-organizer. Shotaro Ban excelled with his chipping and putting today, hitting 12 greens in regulation and requiring just 22 putts—the fewest of any player in the field. Starting from the 10th tee, he birdied five holes on his opening nine. Highlighting his round was the par-5 4th hole on his back nine, where he hit a 210-yard second shot with a 5-iron onto the green and holed a 9-foot putt for an eagle. Most of his other birdies came within 15 feet. Ban noted that he specifically switched to a heavier putter to handle the challenging greens at Royal Kuan-Hsi, which paid off smoothly. Although his driving accuracy was off—finding only six fairways—he caught a lucky break on the par-5 8th hole when his wayward tee shot bounced off the road and over the trees. He managed a 175-yard second shot into the rough right of the green, chipped on, and sank a 1-putt birdie. Teeing off in the afternoon from the 1st hole, Li Jui-shen put together a stellar performance with great driving, iron play, and putting, recording an eagle, seven birdies, and no bogeys to set a personal career-low score. He hit 15 greens in regulation, missed only three fairways off the tee, and needed just 25 putts. On the closing 18th hole, Li hit a 217-yard second shot with a 5-iron to within a foot of the pin for an easy eagle. He also holed out directly from 15 yards for a birdie on the 5th hole, drained a 27-footer on the 13th, and converted mostly within 14 feet elsewhere. He credited his strong ball-striking and smooth putting for capitalizing on numerous scoring chances, unaffected by the afternoon's persistent drizzle. Chan Shih-chang posted seven birdies and a bogey-free round with consistent ball-striking across the bag. Starting from the 10th, he picked up two birdies on his front nine, including a 21-foot long putt on the 15th and a chip-and-putt birdie on the par-5 18th. On his back nine, he caught fire with his short game, sinking five birdies—all from within 8 feet—including at the par-5 4th and 8th holes. He finished with 28 putts. Chan noted that while the rain slowed the greens down, they remained smooth and maintained remarkably good condition given the consecutive days of rain. Though still fine-tuning his iron accuracy, he returned to using an old set of irons he has trusted for six years, which significantly helped create birdie opportunities. Hung Chien-yao carded an eagle and four birdies without a blemish, displaying solid form across all clubs. His irons were especially sharp, hitting 15 greens in regulation, while his driver found 13 fairways. He finished with 28 putts, noting room for improvement on the greens. On the par-5 4th hole, Hung holed out directly from 25 yards out for an eagle, while three of his four birdies came on par-5s. He observed that while rain naturally slowed the greens, their overall quality and roll remained excellent, and he plans to adjust his putting for tomorrow. Shapiyate Mako registered seven birdies and one bogey, including two-on and two-putt birdies on the par-5 8th and 11th holes, with the rest driven by his strong short game and putting. Starting from the 10th, he struggled initially on the front nine with 17 putts, trading a birdie for a bogey. After adjusting his putting rhythm on the back nine, he went on a tear from the 1st to 6th holes and the 9th hole, sinking six birdies within 12 feet. He needed only 11 putts on the back nine for a total of 28 putts. His driving was decent with nine fairways hit, complemented by sharp 70-80 yard wedge play. Chen Yu-yu carded nine birdies alongside a double bogey and a bogey, birdying all four par-5s. He also converted 15-foot and 24-foot birdie putts on the 5th and 9th holes respectively, with the rest coming from within 10 feet. Though his driving wasn't sharp—hitting only six fairways—his pinpoint iron play hit 14 greens in regulation, backed by a solid 27-putt performance. He carded a double bogey after driving out-of-bounds on the 14th hole and a bogey after a wayward tee shot on the 6th. He pointed out that continuous rain made the fairways soft and distances tough to gauge, but praised the good green conditions and smooth putting surfaces. Chan Chia-han shot an eagle, seven birdies, and three bogeys with balanced statistics across all clubs, 28 putts, nine fairways hit, and 14 greens in regulation. Starting from the 10th, he fired a 30 on his front nine before cooling down slightly with a 36 on the back. This year marks the third consecutive year the tournament has integrated a charitable component. Led by Lin Kuo-er, Chairman of Green Forest Enterprise, and enthusiastically supported by Liao Nien-chi, Chairman of The Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club, the philanthropic platform continues to flourish within this professional golf tournament. True to Chairman Lin's motto, "Kindness is contagious, and good deeds spread," the charity initiative—launched in 2024—has seen growing contributions year after year. The overwhelming outpouring of love and support has inspired Chairman Lin to commit to continuing the initiative next year, following a total of NT$1.64 million raised in 2024, NT$2.18 million last year, and NT$2.49 million this year. Late Chairman Liao Wan-ying of The Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club was a lifelong supporter of both men's and women's professional golf in Taiwan. Continuing this legacy 23 years later, the club partnered with the TPGA in 2022 to host Taiwan Tour events, fulfilling its corporate social responsibility to promote domestic golf development by serving as a single-tournament title sponsor for the fifth consecutive year. Green Forest Enterprise Chairman Lin Kuo-er returns as a co-title sponsor for this event. Having supported the tournament for five straight years, Chairman Lin brought his three-year experience of running women's charity golf events into the Chasing Dreams Open starting in 2024, marking his seventh year integrating a charitable platform into professional golf to give back to society together. The CHAU-SHI Series was initiated by Wong Chau-shi, co-founder of Mercuries & Associates and Honorary Chairman of the Mercuries Group. In 2021, due to the impact of the pandemic, the number of Taiwan Tour events and total prize money shrank drastically. He stepped forward to personally title-sponsor six special tournaments with NT$2 million each, totaling NT$12 million, laying the foundational structure for the 2021 Taiwan Tour. This has continued for six consecutive years under the same model as the CHAU-SHI Series, with each event sponsored at NT$1.5 million this year across eight total events. The CHAU-SHI Series features a separate Order of Merit special award: the season's prize money leader will receive an additional NT$250,000 provided by Lin Kuo-er, Chairman of Hung Lin Construction Co., Ltd., along with an exemption into the following year's Taiwan Mercuries Masters. Special tournament awards include: Hole-in-One Prizes: Holes 3, 7, 12, and 14 offer a club cash prize of NT$20,000 provided by The Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club. Additionally, hole 3 offers a complimentary accommodation voucher for the Ambassador Hotel Taipei or Hsinchu (choice of one). The Lishan Guest House (Grand Formosa Lishan) offers a complimentary one-night stay in a Presidential Suite, valid for weekdays and weekends, sponsored by the Da-An Group. This award is not restricted by hole count or number of recipients. Measuring 7,026 yards, The Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club features significant green undulations and heavy grain, making putting the ultimate key to success. Precision and touch around the greenside chipping areas will also present a stern test for the players' skills. Spectators are permitted on the course only during Rounds 1 and 2. Spectators must pay a NT$30 cleaning service fee, fill out registration details at the front desk to receive a spectator pass, walk strictly on the cart paths, and are strictly prohibited from riding in golf carts or utilizing inter-hole transport. For safety reasons, children under 6 and pets are not permitted on the course. Highlights of the final two rounds will be broadcast in a 60-minute summary program on September 15 and 16 at 4:00 PM. Broadcast platforms include the TPGA Facebook page, Zhilin Sports, and YouTube, while related tournament news can be tracked anytime via the TPGA official website, LINE platforms (Golfourit and LINE Today), and Yahoo Sports.
