2025/11/13
The 2025 Taiwan Glass Taifong Open officially teed off today at Taifong Golf Club in Changhua. As play was suspended due to darkness with five players still on the course, among the 118 who completed the first round, Taiwan’s Hung Chien-yao delivered an impressive performance with a bogey-free round of 65, seven under par, to take the solo lead. Thailand’s Poosit Supupramai sits second at 67.
Malaysia’s Ervin Chang, Thailand’s Chanat Sakulpolphaisan, Korea’s Wooyoung Cho, and Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig each shot 68 to tie for third place.
As the first round could not be completed before dark, the five players who did not finish will resume play tomorrow (November 14), departing at 6:40 a.m. and restarting at 6:50 a.m. The second round will proceed as originally scheduled in two waves, with the morning session teeing off from 6:15 a.m. to 7:55 a.m., and the afternoon session from 10:45 a.m. to 12:20 p.m.
After the completion of two rounds, the top 65 players will advance to the weekend rounds.
Current leader Hung Chien-yao made eight birdies and one bogey. He said that all aspects of his game felt solid today, performing much better than in the first half of the season. Over the past month, his new long putter has significantly improved his putting consistency. Aside from a two-foot tap-in birdie on the 9th hole, all his birdie putts ranged from 9 to 15 feet. “My reads were good today, and my execution was sharp,” said Hung, who recorded just 26 putts in total.
He started his round in the rain, which later cleared up. “My strategy was to stay steady and focus on putting. I managed to read the greens better and better as the day went on—three birdies and one bogey on the front nine, five birdies and no bogeys on the back nine.”
He added, “Playing in Taiwan always feels great. My caddie, Shao Bai, who’s also a TPGA sponsor and a Taifong Golf Club member, has been on my bag for three straight years and really helped me read the greens well. My friend Kuan came to support me, too, and even helped me recover from a cold. This is like my home course, and with a baby on the way in January, I’m not worried about keeping my Asian Tour card next year—I’m just going with the flow. I’m in a great mood, and everything’s clicking.”
Hung Chien-yao won the 2020 Taifong Open and the 2022 Taifong ADT event. He was the top Taiwanese finisher last year, tied for third, and currently ranks eighth on the Taiwan Tour money list.
Thailand’s Poosit Supupramai made seven birdies and two bogeys. “My putting was very good today, and my drives and irons were also solid,” he said. “The best moments were a chip-in birdie from 20 yards on the 12th and a 15-foot birdie putt on the 6th.” He praised the excellent condition of the course and greens. Supupramai ranked 43rd on last year’s Asian Tour Order of Merit — his best in 15 years — with three top-ten finishes. However, this season he currently stands at 107th.
Malaysia’s Ervin Chang, who carded 68, made six birdies and two bogeys, shooting 34 on both nines. Teeing off from the first hole, he said, “It was rainy and windy in the morning, but by noon the weather cleared and turned sunny. I tried to stay consistent, and everything went well—especially the last two par-5s, where I made back-to-back birdies. My putting was the best part of my game today—I had only 24 putts.”
Currently ranked 75th on the Asian Tour, Chang hopes to finish strong in this event and the remaining three tournaments of the season to secure a top-65 position and retain his Asian Tour card for next year.
Thailand’s Chanate Sakulpolphaisan shot five birdies and one bogey. “I changed my swing this year, and the results haven’t been great overall,” he said. “I started from the 10th hole, struggled early due to the weather, but played better once it improved. The highlight was making three straight birdies on holes 3 to 5. On the par-4 4th, I used a 3-wood off the tee and hit my second shot 155 yards close to the pin for a tap-in birdie—that was my best shot of the day.”
This four-round, 72-hole tournament runs through November 16 with a total prize purse of US$400,000 (approximately NT$12.4 million). It is the third consecutive year that Taifong Golf Club has served as the title sponsor of an Asian Tour event. The winner will receive US$72,000 (approximately NT$2.232 million), with players from a record 24 countries participating.
A total of 123 players from 24 nations are competing, including Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, China, England, Spain, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Scotland, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, the United States, Vietnam, and Taiwan. There are 81 international players (including one amateur) and 42 players from Taiwan.
The title sponsors of the event are Taiwan Glass Group and Taifong Golf Club. It is jointly organized by TPGA and the Asian Tour, under the guidance of the Sports Administration. The runner-up prize is US$44,000, and the third-place prize is US$25,200.
Since being upgraded to an official Asian Tour event in 2023, the “Taiwan Glass Taifong Open” has made Taiwan one of the few countries hosting three Asian Tour tournaments annually. This event serves as the third Asian Tour stop of the Taiwan Tour season, the fourth-to-last on the 2025 Asian Tour calendar, and the second-to-last on the Taiwan Tour, with ranking points affecting seed eligibility for both 2026 circuits.
Taifong Golf Club Chairman Lin Po-shi has long been a key promoter of golf in Taiwan. Since 2005, Taifong has hosted five TPGA Taifong Opens, two Senior and Women’s Professional COMBAT Matches, seven TLPGA Taifong Women’s International Opens, and from 2014 to 2022, seven ADT tournaments. During the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, while the ADT event was suspended, Lin continued to support the sport by organizing the TPGA Taifong Men’s Open.
To provide Taiwanese golfers with an international platform and world-ranking opportunities, Chairman Lin upgraded the Taifong ADT Open to the Asian Tour in 2023. This is the third consecutive year of title sponsorship. Lin has continuously improved course conditions, raising the green speed to 10.5 on the stimpmeter, extending bunkers on holes 13, 17, and 18, and refining the rough to meet Asian Tour standards. The “Taiwan Glass Taifong Open” name reflects Lin’s dual role as President of Taiwan Glass Group and Chairman of Taifong Golf Club, bringing both the club’s prestige and the corporation’s international visibility to the event.
Taifong Golf Club’s distinctive “Chia-Ching Clubhouse” was designed by world-renowned architect Álvaro Siza and completed in 2020. It combines aesthetics and comfort, offering world-class facilities and blending art and sport seamlessly. Competing in such an environment is a true pleasure for players and fans alike.
The course setup follows Asian Tour standards, measuring 7,255 yards. Both fairways and greens are maintained in top condition, with increased bunker length on holes 13, 17, and 18, and reconditioned rough areas that raise the level of difficulty.
Taifong’s long fairways, thick rough, and challenging green slopes present a demanding test for players.
Special Prizes
Hole-in-One Prize: NT$10,000 for Holes 2, 8, 12, and 15 provided by the club.
Chairman Lin Po-shi offers an additional NT$100,000 for the first player to score a hole-in-one on Hole 15.
Course Record Bonus — NT$50,000 for breaking the course record of 63 set by Chang I-hsin in 2016 (sponsored by Commissioner Hsieh Chih-hung). The bonus will not be awarded if preferred lies are in effect.
The first two rounds (November 13–14) will be aired as one-hour highlight programs from 23:00 to 00:00, while the third and final rounds (November 15–16) will be broadcast live. The live broadcast begins at 11:30 a.m. with an 8:00 p.m. replay on both days on ELTA Golf Channel 2.
During the tournament, spectators may enter the course but must register at the Chia-Ching Clubhouse counter to obtain a spectator pass. Public liability insurance is covered by the organizers at no cost to attendees. Spectators should walk only on cart paths, as no carts or shuttles are allowed between holes. For safety reasons, children under six and pets are advised not to enter the course area; the organizers reserve the right to deny entry.
