The “2025 Trustgolf Asian Mixed,” co-sanctioned and organized by Thailand’s Trustgolf, the PGA of Taiwan (TPGA), and the Taiwan Ladies Professional Golf Association (TLPGA), kicked off its third tournament today (20th) at Lake View Resort & Golf Club in Hua Hin, Thailand. Thai female star PK Kongkraphan, Taiwan’s Yao Hsuan-yu, and Thai male golfer Natchapol Srinoon each fired a 7-under-par 64 to share the lead. Among Taiwanese players, Wen Cheng-hsiang carded a 67, securing the best position for Taiwan at tied 10th.
Taiwanese golfers Lee Chao-hua, Chan Shih-chang, Huang Chi, Chen Chieh-sheng, and Tsai Kai-jen all posted 68, joining five other international players in a tie for 19th.
Among the Taiwan Tour seeded players, last year’s Order of Merit winner, Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai, shot a 66 to tie for 5th alongside fellow Thai player Poom Saksansin and three other competitors.
This event marks the 12th tournament on the Taiwan Tour this year, featuring 132 male and female golfers from six countries. The field includes 40 TPGA professionals, 40 TLPGA professionals, and 52 players—both professional and amateur—invited and recommended by Trustgolf.
This is the first time that Trustgolf, TLPGA, and TPGA have co-sanctioned an international event, and it is also the first occasion TPGA and TLPGA have jointly certified an overseas tournament. A total of three events are being held under this series, with the second one having concluded last week.
The “Trustgolf Asian Mixed” series features three tournaments in total, each offering a purse of 5 million THB (approximately TWD 4.55 million). Each event is played over three rounds (54 holes) in a mixed-gender stroke-play format, with scores from male and female players combined in the same leaderboard. The third tournament features 132 players from six nations — Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, the United States, and Scotland — including 118 professionals and 14 amateurs (10 men and 4 women). The winner’s prize is 750,000 THB (~TWD 682,500), the runner-up earns 500,000 THB (~TWD 455,000), and the third-place finisher receives 300,000 THB (~TWD 278,000).
The tournament takes place at Lake View Resort & Golf Club, with the first event held on the C & D courses, the second event on A & B, and the third event returning to A & B. Since male and female professionals compete in the same groups, the tees are adjusted to account for a 12% distance difference between genders.
Wen Cheng-hsiang shot five birdies and one bogey today. Strong iron play and solid putting contributed to his score, hitting 14 greens in regulation. All his birdie putts were within 12 feet, including an impressive streak of three straight birdies on holes 1 to 3. On the first hole, he chipped in from 10 yards short of the green; holes 2 and 3 were both 3-4 foot birdie putts. He added a 12-foot birdie at hole 8 and a 6-footer on hole 13.
Wen noted that he had four additional birdie chances within nine feet but missed them. “The putting was solid overall, and I made the ones I should have,” he said. “My chipping was decent, and the tee shots were okay too.” Playing under good weather conditions, he managed a strong performance. He emphasized that, as this is the second consecutive week playing the same course and layout, he focused on maintaining consistent ball flights to ensure stability in his game.
Lee Chao-hua, tied for 19th with a round of 68, considered himself lucky this week. Originally scheduled to play in the qualifying tournament, he earned a direct spot in the main field when Taiwan Tour player Li Chin-chou, who entered Thailand on a Korean visa, became ineligible for the third week due to visa restrictions. “It was unexpected, and I’m glad I had the chance,” Lee said, delivering his best performance in three weeks.
Lee explained that his four birdies and one bogey were largely thanks to strong second shots, which boosted his greens-in-regulation rate. His driver performed adequately, while his putting was average. Two of his birdies came on par-5 holes, both secured with chip-and-putt combinations. His standout moment came on hole 5, sinking a 21-foot putt — his longest birdie of the day. On hole 10, his approach shot landed right beside the cup for a tap-in birdie. He also had two additional birdie chances within 12 feet, but neither dropped.
Reflecting on his earlier struggles in the first two events, Lee revealed that he adjusted his long game, especially his drives and second shots, and was pleased to see improvements today. He hopes to maintain his form over the next two rounds.
Defending Taiwan Tour Order of Merit champion Suteepat Prateeptienchai recorded six birdies and one bogey today. Starting from the 10th hole, he went 2-under with one bogey on his front nine (34), then added four birdies on the back nine. He praised the course, saying, “Conditions are just as good as last week. On the front nine, the wind was a bit tricky, so my score wasn’t great. But after making a birdie on hole 5, everything clicked — I finished the last five holes with four more birdies.” He admitted his iron play wasn’t as sharp as last week, but his putting was consistent.
Among the co-leaders, Thai golfer PK Kongkraphan and Taiwan’s Yao Hsuan-yu both recorded eight birdies and one bogey for their 64s. The other co-leader, Thai player Natchapol Srinoon, started from the 10th and endured a lackluster front nine with a 36, featuring one bogey. But on the back nine, he caught fire, making eight birdies in nine holes for an incredible 28.
After tomorrow’s second round, the top 60 players (including ties) will advance to the final round.
