2025/7/31
The sixth event of the CHAU-SHI Series, the Chasing Dream Open with a total prize purse of NT$3 million, held its third round today (July 31) at The Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club. Yesterday's co-leaders, Lawrence Ting and Chang Wei-lun, both carded four-under 68s, remaining tied at the top with a three-round total of 198, 18-under-par. Yeh Yu-chen also shot a 68, placing him one stroke behind in solo third with a total of 199.
The final round will be held tomorrow, with the first group teeing off at 6:30 a.m. and the final group at 8:00 a.m. The round is expected to conclude around 1:00 p.m., followed by the award ceremony.
Hsieh Ting-wei shot a 67 and Hung Chien-yao a 68; both players sit two shots behind the leaders at 200, tied for fourth place.
Tsai Kai-jen and Yu Sung-po each shot a 65 today, bringing their totals to 201, 15-under-par and tied for sixth. The two shared today’s lowest-round prize of NT$10,000 provided by SOCH Furniture | Diandiansleep, along with Chang Chien K’o-yen and Wang Sheng-hui, each receiving NT$2,500.
Amateur Ko Liang-yu fired a 66 today, bringing his three-round total to 205, 11-under-par—the best score among amateur players so far, currently tied for 14th on the professional leaderboard.
Lawrence Ting made one eagle, four birdies, and two bogeys today. After the round, he admitted that his performance was not ideal: “Maybe it was the sweltering heat or the tension of the competition within the group that made me overly excited—my swing wasn’t in rhythm. I had to scramble a lot today, and only a few good shots gave me some morale boosts.” His stats: 9 fairways hit, 14 greens in regulation, and 29 putts.
At the par-5 11th hole, he drove with a 3-wood, followed by a 4-iron that landed 221 yards on the green, setting up a 7-foot eagle putt. He also made birdies at two par-4s and two par-5s, all from 2 to 6 feet. He narrowly missed additional birdies on holes 13 to 16 and was disappointed not to birdie the par-5 8th, the only par-5 where he didn’t.
Looking ahead to tomorrow’s final round, he said, “I just hope I won’t get too excited and mess up my swing rhythm or tempo. I need to maintain today’s best trait—patience—and play a good round tomorrow!”
Chang Wei-lun carded five birdies and one bogey today. He was also not satisfied with his performance. Though each part of his game was solid and he birdied all four par-5s, he missed three short birdie putts and even three-putted an 8-footer to make bogey—something that upset him. “The slopes and grain near the pins were hard to read today—very different from what I expected.”
His stats were similar to Ting’s, with just one more fairway hit. As for his strategy entering the final round tied for the lead, he laughed and said, “Just play golf!” (Implying he’ll stay relaxed.)
Yeh Yu-chen, just one shot behind, had a game of two halves today—1 birdie and 2 bogeys on the front nine for a 37, then 6 birdies and 1 bogey on the back nine for a 31. After the round, he said he wasn’t sure why he played poorly early on—his drives hit every fairway, but his irons were too strong, sending shots long. His chips were then too soft, leading to two bogeys. Fortunately, he adjusted in time, making back-to-back-to-back birdies on holes 10–12 and 16–18. All his birdie putts were within 9 feet, except for an 18-footer on the 12th. His driving and irons were average, but he made 26 putts and managed to rejoin the battle for the title.
He hopes that if he can control his iron distances tomorrow and not overthink, he’ll have a strong chance to win.
Hsieh Ting-wei carded six birdies and one bogey, going four-under 32 on the front nine with four birdies and no bogeys, and two-under 35 on the back with two birdies and one bogey. He said he played steadily early on, hitting fairways and greens, and taking birdie chances when they came. He made birdies on two par-5s and two 12-footers on par-4s. On the back nine, his putting was less precise, but he still birdied one par-4 and one par-5.
He felt his driving was stable and on-target today, irons were decent, but putting wasn’t as sharp as yesterday due to hard-to-read grain around the pins. “Tomorrow, I’ll just let it happen—don’t overthink it.”
Hung Chien-yao made six birdies and two bogeys. He felt today’s overall performance wasn’t as good as the first two rounds. Although he still hit 16 greens, he had 32 putts—five more than yesterday. On the front nine he made one birdie and one bogey for an even-par 36. On the back, after two birdies and one bogey, he closed strong with birdies on the last three holes—making putts from 12, 40, and 27 feet.
He added that his mindset today was better than before, and he really enjoyed playing alongside two young players, Hsieh Ting-wei and Lu Sun-yi, learning from their attitude and aggression to improve himself. “For tomorrow’s final round, I just want to enjoy playing.”
Tsai Kai-jen and Yu Sung-po both posted bogey-free 65s with seven birdies, and at three shots back are still in contention. Tsai’s birdies included three on par-5s and two each on par-3s and par-4s. Notably, his longest birdie putts were near 20 feet on the par-4 1st and par-3 17th holes. He said today his driving mistakes were much fewer than yesterday, and his iron accuracy was high—he missed just one green and created many birdie chances. “I hope I can shoot nine-under tomorrow to fight for the win.”
Yu Sung-po also made three birdies on par-5s. Though his drives were slightly off, he avoided big mistakes. His irons and putting were strong, converting key chances. His longest birdie putts were 15 and 20 feet on holes 7 and 15, respectively. He had 28 putts and hit 16 greens.
Having played on the Japan Tour, he had taken leave due to an elbow injury. Since late May, he’s been resting and treating the injury, only returning mid-July to test his condition on the Taiwan Tour. “Still not ideal,” he said, but he hopes to improve steadily.
The tournament runs from July 29 to August 1, featuring four rounds and 72 holes, with 124 players (117 pros and 7 amateurs) from seven countries. In addition to 100 Taiwanese players, there are 16 international players from Australia, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Thailand, and the United States. The winner will receive NT$500,000. This is the ninth event of the Taiwan Tour this year and the sixth stop of the CHAU-SHI Series.
Continuing its tradition from last year, the event integrates charity efforts led by Ms. Lin Kuo-er, Chairwoman of Green Forest Development, and enthusiastically supported by Mr. Liao Nien-chi, Chairman of The Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club. In line with Ms. Lin’s motto, “Kindness is contagious; good deeds spread,” the tournament continues to emphasize philanthropy under the theme “Unceasing Kindness and Continuous Public Welfare.”
This tournament is title-sponsored by Mr. Wong Chau-shi, Honorary Chairman of the Mercuries Group, with The Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club as the title host, Green Forest Development Co., Ltd. as the main sponsor, and the TPGA as the organizer. The Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club also acts as co-organizer.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that The Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club has hosted a men’s professional open after a 23-year hiatus since 1999. After opening in 1995, the club hosted the Royal Men’s Open in 1998 and 1999, followed by 17 consecutive editions of the TLPGA Royal Women’s Open.
The club’s late chairman, Mr. Liao Wan-ying, was a long-time supporter of men’s and women’s professional golf in Taiwan. Since 2022, the club has partnered again with TPGA, upholding its social responsibility in developing golf in Taiwan and now entering its fourth year as title host.
Chairwoman Lin Kuo-er of Green Forest Development is also the main sponsor of this event. Green Forest has been a key sponsor for four consecutive years. Since last year, Lin has also brought over three years of experience hosting women’s charity tournaments into the Chasing Dream Open. “This is the sixth year we’ve integrated this charity platform into professional golf,” she said. “Let’s do good together.”
This year’s charity donations will go to six organizations:
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Catholic St. Joseph's Center in Hsinchu
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Taiwan Alzheimer’s Disease Association
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Zhu Zhu Mama Children’s Education Association
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Yu Cheng Social Welfare Foundation
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Taiwan Heart & Blessing Emotional Education Association
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Taipei City Shangle Family Foundation
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(An increase from four organizations last year to six this year.)
