2025/6/5

The 2025 CHAU-SHI Series – Mizuno Open, with a total purse of NT$3 million, began its first round today (June 5) at Bombax Golf Club in Tainan. Due to two rain suspensions during the round, several players from the afternoon wave were unable to complete their rounds. Among the 86 players who completed 18 holes in the first round, Chang Wei-lun had a strong day, carding nine birdies with no bogeys for a score of 63, nine strokes under par, taking the solo lead. He broke the course record and earned a NT$20,000 bonus provided by the club, while also setting a personal best in his professional career for most birdies with no bogeys in a single round, tying his career-low round.

Tsai Kai-jen and Shapiyat Mako both shot 66, six under par, and are currently tied for second.

Lai Chia-yi and Hsieh Ting-wei both carded 67 and are tied for fourth. The 2023 champion Hung Chien-yao shot a 68, tying for sixth alongside Liu Yong-hua, Chiu Han-ting, Lee Jui-shen, and Japanese players Yuki Kajimura and Nobuaki Oda.

This four-round, 72-hole tournament will continue through June 8, with 131 players from five countries participating. In addition to the host nation, the other four countries are Italy, Japan, Thailand, and the United States, totaling 125 professional players. Of these, 92 are from Taiwan. Japan has the largest foreign contingent with 24 players, followed by five from Thailand. Six amateur players from Taiwan are also competing. The winner will take home NT$500,000, and the runner-up will receive NT$250,000.

Today, weather in the Tainan area was unstable, with cloudy skies and occasional heavy showers, and even lightning strikes at times. Tournament officials suspended play twice. The first suspension came at noon due to a sudden downpour, with play resuming at 1:00 PM. A second suspension occurred at 2:45 PM due to another downpour, with play resuming again at 4:30 PM. By 6:50 PM, as darkness fell, the tournament committee officially halted play with 15 groups—45 players—yet to complete their first 18 holes. Round one will resume at 7:00 AM tomorrow morning, followed by the start of round two at 7:50 AM.

Taiwan’s Asian Tour player Chang Wei-lun recorded nine birdies with no bogeys today, breaking the course record of 66 previously held by Chang Che-yu and setting a personal best for birdies in a bogey-free round. He had previously set a personal best of eight birdies and no bogeys with a 63 (par 71) during the third round of the 2023 Saudi Open on the Asian Tour. He also shot a 63 in the third and final round of the 2019 Taichung Charity Elite Invitational on the Taiwan Tour, tying his lowest career round again today.

He started on the 10th hole and immediately made a 15-foot birdie putt. On the 11th, he drained a 30-footer for birdie. He followed up with birdies on the 13th and 14th holes for a front nine score of 32. His irons and putter remained sharp on the back nine, with back-to-back birdies on the 4th and 5th, and three consecutive birdies on holes 7 through 9, finishing with 31 for a round of 63—bogey-free.

He noted that he hit all 18 greens in regulation and took 28 putts. He had three birdie chances from 6 to 9 feet but didn’t make them. “The greens were damp and slow today, but very smooth. Although I didn’t always get the speed just right, my reads on the putts were solid, which really helped,” he said. On March 29 this year, he won the season-opening Chang Hwa Open of the CHAU-SHI Series on the Taiwan Tour, and was runner-up in this event last year.

Both Tsai Kai-jen and Mako also went bogey-free with six birdies each. Tsai credited his consistent drives for increasing his chances to hit greens and create birdie opportunities. Starting from the 10th, he holed a 15-foot birdie putt on the 12th, then rattled off four straight birdies from the 15th to the 18th. He made 15-foot birdie putts on the 15th and 17th, an easy up-and-down birdie on the par-5 16th, and landed on the green with one shot on the 18th. Though his 15-foot eagle putt missed, he made the birdie easily for a 31. On the front nine, he added just one more birdie on the par-5 5th. “My drives on holes 1 through 9 were a bit off, and I was mostly scrambling, so I didn’t have many more birdie chances.”

Tsai had 27 putts today and said his chipping around the greens has improved. “I’ve spent a lot of time adjusting my driving accuracy this year, and today I saw the results—posting a rare bogey-free round with six birdies.”

Mako had just 25 putts today and said his game plan worked very well. He only used a driver twice, opting instead for his 2-iron off the tee to ensure accuracy. He only missed one fairway, and a few shots landed near the edges, which didn’t affect his approach shots. His irons and wedges were solid, allowing him to notch six birdies. However, he only birdied two of the par-5 holes, missing birdie opportunities on the other two. His longest birdie was a 30-footer on the 14th, followed by an 18-foot birdie putt on the 11th, and a chip-in from 5 yards on the 2nd.

He said the biggest change today was switching from his usual driver-heavy approach to more 2-iron tee shots. This gave him better chances to land on fairways and attack the greens. On many holes, he used a pitching wedge or 58-degree wedge for his second shot to reach the green and set up birdie chances. The result: his best round of the year.

Hsieh Ting-wei took only 24 putts today, helping him post a strong score. However, he was not entirely satisfied with his driving, hitting just 10 fairways. Still, he managed to recover well and hit the greens without major errors, carding six birdies against one bogey. His highlights included a 24-foot birdie putt on the par-5 17th and a 30-foot par save on the 6th. A rookie professional, he claimed his first title at the Bombax course in mid-April at the opening event of the ThreeBond Challenge Tour.

This tournament is the second leg of this year’s CHAU-SHI Series and the fourth event on the Taiwan Tour. After the first two rounds, the top 50 players (including ties) will advance to the final two rounds.

The CHAU-SHI Series is the title-sponsored tour launched by Wong Chau-shi, Honorary Chairman of the Mercuries Group, in 2021. Taiwan Mizuno is the presenting sponsor of this event, organized by The PGA of Taiwan (TPGA), with Bombax Golf Club as a major sponsor and co-organizer. Both Mizuno Taiwan and Bombax have now supported this event for five consecutive years.

Wong Chau-shi, one of the founders of Mercuries & Associates, initiated the CHAU-SHI Series in response to the reduction of events and prize money on the Taiwan Tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He personally sponsored six tournaments in 2021, contributing NT$2 million per event for a total of NT$12 million. This laid the groundwork for the Taiwan Tour’s revival that year. Now in its fifth consecutive year, the CHAU-SHI Series continues under the same format and level of support. The number of CHAU-SHI Series events has increased from eight last year to ten this year, contributing to a total of 20 tournaments on the Taiwan Tour this season—four more than last year.

The CHAU-SHI Series also features a special prize for its season money leader. The top earner on the CHAU-SHI Series will receive an additional NT$200,000 from Lin Kuo-er, Chairman of Red Forest Construction, and earn a spot in the following year’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters.

The combined length of the Aoyama and Lushui nines at Bombax Golf Club is 7,182 yards. The course favors long hitters (last year’s winning score was -26), but precision with wedge shots around 100 yards, as well as reading green speed, grain, and slope, are equally important and challenging.

Special Prizes During the Tournament

Hole-in-One Prize

At holes 2 and 8 of the Aoyama Course, and holes 11 and 17 of the Lushui Course (which correspond to holes 2 and 8 of each respective nine), the course offers pre-arranged sponsor prizes and a one-year short-term course membership. There is no limit to the number of recipients, and both professional and amateur players are eligible.

At the 17th hole, Tung Hui Watch Company is providing a Bell & Ross watch valued at NT$168,000. This prize will go to the first professional player who scores a hole-in-one on this hole during any of the four official tournament rounds.

Unlimited in number or hole—Da An Group is offering one night of free accommodation in the Presidential Suite of the Lishan Guesthouse, valid on both weekdays and holidays.

Course Record Prize

(For Aoyama and Lushui courses) The previous record of 66, held by Chang Che-yu, has been surpassed. The course will award NT$20,000 to the new record-holder.

Low Round Prizes for the Final Two Rounds

SOCH Furniture and DDSleep are sponsoring prizes of NT$10,000 each for the lowest round on June 7 (Round 3) and June 8 (Round 4). If multiple players tie for the lowest score, the prize will be split equally.

The final two rounds of this tournament will be broadcast with recorded highlights and streamed online at 4:00 PM on June 17 and 18. This year’s broadcast platforms include the official Facebook page of The PGA of Taiwan, Smart Sports Channel, and YouTube, where fans can watch the exciting tournament coverage. Additionally, news related to the tournament can be followed through the TPGA official website, LINE platform Golfourit, LINE Today, and Yahoo Sports.

Spectators are welcome to attend the tournament free of charge. To enter, visitors must pay a NT$20 cleaning fee at the reception desk and fill out a form at the starting station to receive a spectator pass. All spectators must walk along the cart path—riding in golf carts is strictly prohibited, and the course does not provide shuttle service between holes. For safety reasons, children under six years old and pets are not allowed on the course. Golf fans are encouraged to seize this opportunity to witness the exciting performances of emerging professional talent from June 5 to 8.