TAIWAN GLASS TAIFONG OPEN 2025

Round 3

2025/11/15

The 2025 Taiwan Glass Taifong Open continued today (15th) with the third round at Taifong Golf Club in Changhua. Under intense pressure from his playing partners, Taiwan’s Hung Chien-yao carded a 70 and maintained the outright lead at a three-round total of 200, 16 under par. Thailand’s Ekpharit Wu combined good fortune and solid play, making a hole-in-one and an eagle en route to a 65. He sits one shot back in second place at 201 after three rounds.

Thailand’s Ekpharit Wu aced the 170-yard 8th hole with a 9-iron, earning NT$10,000 from the club. It was his second career hole-in-one as a professional.

Sweden’s Charlie Lindh shot 67 for a three-round total of 205, 11 under par, and lies five shots off the lead in third place alone. The three players will form the final group tomorrow as they battle for their maiden Asian Tour victory and the US$72,000 winner’s cheque.

Thailand’s Sarut Vongchaisit returned a 69 to reach 207 after three rounds and currently holds fourth place alone.

Taiwan’s Huang Chi and Liu Yong-hua both shot 68, while Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig posted a 70. The three are tied for fifth at 208, eight under par, after three rounds.

In tomorrow’s final round, players will again tee off simultaneously from the 1st and 10th tees. The first group starts at 8:00 a.m., and the last group at 10:01 a.m. The round is scheduled to finish at around 3:00 p.m., followed immediately by the awards ceremony.

Hung Chien-yao made four birdies and two bogeys today. He admitted that his front nine felt a bit flat; after a bogey on the 6th, he did not make his first birdie until the 9th, mainly because his putting was not as sharp as it had been over the first two days. On the back nine, he finally found his rhythm, making back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14 with strong iron play and putting. The 12-foot, downhill, right-to-left putt he holed on the 14th for birdie was particularly uplifting. He then made a bogey at the par-3 15th after a poor tee shot and bunker play, but responded with a birdie on the par-5 17th to preserve his one-shot lead.

He said afterward that his fairways- and greens-hit percentages were similar to the first two days, but he took 31 putts—five or six more than before. “On top of that, my playing partner Ekpharit made a hole-in-one and an eagle, and then finished eagle–birdie over the last two holes, suddenly erasing three shots and cutting my lead to just one. This is the first time in my more than 10 years of playing that I’ve experienced something like this in a round, but to still turn in a 70 in those circumstances feels like a pretty good score on a not-so-good day,” he said.

He also admitted that playing in the final group as the leader is both exciting and stressful. “Over the first eight holes today I was a bit tight and didn’t play up to my usual standard, and it was hard not to be affected when the guys in my group were playing so well,” he said. “On the back nine I just told myself to play my own game, do my best, and finish all 18 holes strong. Fortunately, this was only the third round, and we still have the final round tomorrow to settle things. I hope the goddess of victory—or the local Earth God—will smile on me tomorrow.” Since turning pro, he has played the Asian Tour for 13 consecutive seasons and is still seeking his first win.

Hung Chien-yao won the 2020 Taifong Open and the 2022 Taifong ADT event. He was the top Taiwanese finisher here last year in a tie for third. He currently sits eighth on the Taiwan Tour money list and 110th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

The other Thai contender, Ekpharit Wu, once again putted superbly, needing just 25 putts—one fewer than yesterday. His irons were also excellent. In addition to his hole-in-one at the 8th, he tallied one eagle, five birdies, and two bogeys. At the par-5 17th, he hit his second shot 220 yards onto the green, finishing just one foot from the hole and rolling in the putt for a spectacular eagle—almost a double eagle. “I was really surprised at how well I hit that shot,” he said. Today’s ace was his second in a professional tournament, the previous one coming four years ago.

“I felt today like I could do anything,” he said. “Every club choice and every swing seemed to go exactly as I wanted.” He added that if he can finish tomorrow in the same position he is in now, it would already be an excellent result—and winning the tournament would be even better.

Wu’s father is from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and his mother is Thai. His Chinese name is Wu Tai-tsu. He speaks only a few simple phrases of Mandarin. The 26-year-old was married two months ago, and his wife is on his bag this week. He turned professional in 2019 and has played on the All Thailand Golf Tour and spent two seasons on the ADT. This year is his first on the Asian Tour, where he currently ranks 73rd.

This tournament offers 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 title sponsor of an Asian Tour event. The winner will receive US$72,000 (approximately NT$2.232 million), and players from a record 24 countries are taking part, setting a new benchmark for the tournament.

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 a country with three Asian Tour tournaments in a single year. It is the third Asian Tour stop sanctioned by the Taiwan Tour this season, the fourth-to-last event on the Asian Tour calendar, and the second-to-last event on the Taiwan Tour schedule, with ranking points affecting seed eligibility for both 2026 seasons.

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 global 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 players with a high-level international platform and world-ranking opportunities, Chairman Lin upgraded the Taifong ADT Open to an Asian Tour event in 2023. This is the third consecutive year of title sponsorship. Lin has continued to enhance the course and facilities, improving fairway and green quality. The green speed has been brought up to 10.5 on the stimpmeter, bunkers on holes 13, 17, and 18 have been extended to increase difficulty, and the rough has been tightened and groomed to meet Asian Tour standards. The tournament name, “Taiwan Glass Taifong Open,” reflects Lin’s dual role as Chairman of Taifong Golf Club and President of Taiwan Glass Group. By integrating the group’s name into the tournament, the event not only maintains Taifong’s central role but also showcases Taiwan’s multinational enterprises and world-class golf courses to international players, allowing them to enjoy a top-tier, high-intensity competition.

Taifong’s uniquely designed clubhouse, the “Chia-Ching Clubhouse,” was created by world-renowned architect Álvaro Siza and opened in 2020. Combining aesthetics and comfort, it offers world-class services and scenery, seamlessly blending sport and art. Playing or watching golf in such an environment is truly a great pleasure.

For this event, the course is set up to Asian Tour standards at a total length of 7,255 yards. Both greens and fairways are prepared in peak condition. Green speeds have reached 10.5, bunkers on holes 13, 17, and 18 have been extended to raise the challenge, and the rough has been carefully managed to meet tour specifications.

Taifong’s long fairways, thick fairway and greenside rough, and undulating, quick greens combine to present a demanding test for the field.

Special Prizes

Hole-in-One Prize: NT$10,000 for each of holes 2, 8, 12, and 15, provided by the club.

Chairman Lin Po-shi offers an additional NT$100,000 prize on the 15th hole, awarded to the first player to record a hole-in-one there.

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.

Tomorrow’s final round (November 16) will again be broadcast live, delivering real-time coverage of the players’ exciting performances. Live coverage begins at 11:30 a.m., with a replay at 8:00 p.m. In addition to airing on ELTA Golf Channel 2, the broadcast will also be available via livestream on TPGA’s Facebook page.

During the tournament, spectators are allowed on the course but must first register at the Chia-Ching Clubhouse front desk to obtain a spectator pass. Public liability insurance is fully covered by the organizers, and spectators do not need to pay any insurance fees. Spectators are required to stay on the cart paths at all times; riding in golf carts is strictly prohibited, and no shuttle service is provided between holes. For safety reasons, children under six years of age and pets are advised not to enter the course during the four rounds of competition, and the organizers reserve the right to refuse entry.