TAIWAN GLASS TAIFONG OPEN 2025
Round 4
2025/11/16
The 2025 Taiwan Glass Taifong Open (TAIWAN GLASS TAIFONG OPEN 2025), with a total prize purse of US$400,000 (approximately NT$12.4 million), held its final round today (16th) at Taifong Golf Club in Changhua. In a tense and exciting battle, Asian Tour rookie Ekpharit Wu of Thailand (Chinese name: Wu Tai-tsu), playing this event for the first time, shot a 67, five under par, and captured his first Asian Tour title with a four-round total of 268, 20 under par, earning US$72,000 (approximately NT$2.232 million) in prize money and securing full playing rights on the Asian Tour for next year.
This victory is the third professional title of Ekpharit Wu’s career, but his first on the Asian Tour. It also propels his Asian Tour Order of Merit ranking from No. 73 last week up to No. 28, immediately qualifying him for next week’s US$5 million event in Saudi Arabia (reserved for the top 32 on the latest Asian Tour ranking).
Taiwan’s Hung Chien-yao had been in front for much of the tournament, but his luck turned on the back nine and he was caught and overtaken. He finally signed for a 70, finishing with a four-round total of 270, 18 under par, two shots behind in second place, and earned US$44,000 (approximately NT$1.364 million).
Hung’s runner-up finish also lifts his Asian Tour ranking from No. 110 last week up to No. 57, greatly increasing his chances of retaining his tour card next year. There are still three Asian Tour events remaining this season.
Guatemala’s Jose Toledo fired a hard-fought 65 today, while Sweden’s Charlie Lindh shot 71. The two players both finished with a four-round total of 276, 12 under par, and shared third place.
Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig carded a 70 to finish with a four-round total of 278, taking fifth place.
In today’s final round, the contest essentially turned into a head-to-head duel between Hung Chien-yao and Ekpharit Wu, who started the day separated by just one stroke. The rest of the field trailed by a larger margin. Although they also pushed to post good scores, the Taifong course still presented plenty of difficulty and the pin positions were very tricky, making it hard for them to chase down the leading pair.
Thailand’s Ekpharit Wu began the day one shot behind Hung. Although Hung made birdie on the 1st hole, Wu responded immediately by making back-to-back birdies as soon as he started, catching up on the 2nd hole. Hung then made birdies on holes 4, 5, and 8, and Wu refused to back down. By the end of the front nine, both players had made four birdies without a bogey, and Hung still led by one stroke. On the back nine, Wu made his first bogey at the 10th, falling two shots behind. However, at the par-3 12th and par-4 14th, his irons and putting were both precise, and he made birdies on both holes to draw level again with Hung, who had made pars on holes 12–14.
After that, Hung first failed to hit the green with his tee shot at the par-3 15th. His second shot onto the green ran long, and he missed a roughly 6-foot par putt, taking his first bogey. Then at the par-4 16th he found the bunker, reached the green with his third shot, and again missed a roughly 10-foot par putt, carding another bogey. Wu, meanwhile, played solid pars on both holes and thus moved into a two-shot lead over Hung. On the final two par-5s, Hung’s tee shots, second shots, and putts were all less than ideal, leaving him no real chances to attack for birdie, and he finished both holes with pars. Wu also made pars on both, and in the end he completed a two-stroke comeback victory.
After the round, Wu said that this winning experience was truly special and moving for him, because this is his first year playing on the Asian Tour and he has already captured his first title, making his dream come true. He said that during the tournament he focused only on his own swing and did not know what would happen later on; he simply tried to execute the shot in front of him as well as possible. When he caught up with his opponent, he did his best to stay calm. Beating his opponent would be the best outcome, but if he did not win it would still be fine—finishing second would already be a very good result.
He also thanked his wife for her great support, both on the course and mentally. Although she is not a golfer and does not play golf, she has been his caddie for several years. The two were married just two months ago and have been fighting together on the All Thailand Golf Tour and Asian Development Tour. Now they finally share the glory of a championship victory.
His father happened to have returned to Taiwan recently and made a special trip from Kaohsiung to Taifong Golf Club this morning to cheer for his son. After the win, the son was so emotional that he was almost at a loss for words. Wu’s father is in his seventies and is originally from Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Forty years ago he went to Thailand to engage in aquaculture business and put down roots there, and in recent years he has been traveling frequently between Taiwan and Thailand. Once a single-digit handicap amateur golfer, he taught Ekpharit to play golf until the age of six, after which professional coaches took over. Ekpharit turned professional in 2019, has played on the All Thailand Golf Tour and won twice, spent two years on the ADT, and only this year began playing on the Asian Tour.
Runner-up Hung Chien-yao said after the round that his ball-striking on the front nine was quite good and he kept up with his opponent’s scoring, but his putting luck on the back nine was a bit worse. He took 14 putts on the front nine and 18 on the back nine, for a total of 32 putts—his highest putting total in any of the four rounds.
He still made a point of thanking his caddie, Brother Shao-bai, as well as the friends and spectators who came out to support him today. He said that he still has shortcomings and that this result means heaven wants him to continue refining himself, and he will keep working hard.
Taiwan Glass Group President Lin Po-shih said at the award ceremony that starting next year the company will continue as title sponsor of the Asian Tour event for another three years, and that the total prize money will be increased to US$500,000 next year. He also mentioned that he himself went out to the course today and watched from the 1st hole
to the final hole. “The duel between the two players today was truly spectacular! The champion’s iron shots were extremely precise, and Hung Chien-yao also played very well!” He said he looks forward to seeing the players and the course improve year after year in future editions of the tournament.
This tournament marks the third consecutive year that Taifong Golf Club has served as title sponsor of an Asian Tour event. The winner receives US$72,000 (approximately NT$2.232 million), and this year the field includes players from as many as 24 countries, setting a new record for the event.
The title sponsors of this event are Taiwan Glass Group and Taifong Golf Club. The tournament is organized by TPGA and the Asian Tour, under the guidance of the Sports Administration.
Since the “Taiwan Glass Taifong Open” was officially upgraded to an Asian Tour event in 2023, Taiwan has, for the first time, hosted three Asian Tour tournaments in a single season. It is the third Asian Tour event on this year’s Taiwan Tour schedule, the fourth-to-last stop on the Asian Tour, and the second-to-last event on the Taiwan Tour calendar. The ranking points available here are crucial for securing seed status on both the 2026 Asian Tour and Taiwan Tour.
Taifong Golf Club Chairman Lin Po-shih has long been an important driving force in Taiwanese golf. Since 2005, the club has hosted five TPGA Taifong Opens, two Senior and Women’s Professional COMBAT matches, seven TLPGA Taifong Women’s International Opens, and seven ADT events from 2014 to 2022. During the global pandemic in 2020 and 2021, although the Taifong ADT was temporarily suspended, Chairman Lin continued to support domestic professional golf by holding the TPGA Taifong Men’s Open for two consecutive years.
To provide Taiwanese players with a high-level international competition platform, increase their tournament experience and world ranking points, and help them reach higher stages of international golf, Chairman Lin upgraded the Taifong ADT Open to an Asian Tour event in 2023. This year marks the third consecutive year of title sponsorship of this Asian Tour tournament, and he has continued to make the course facilities and the quality of the fairways and greens even better. Through repeated refinement in past events, the course has been continually improved. Green speeds have reached 10.5, and this year bunkers on holes 13, 17, and 18 have been extended to increase difficulty, while the rough has been adjusted to meet Asian Tour standards.
The tournament is named the “Taiwan Glass Taifong Open” because Chairman Lin is not only the Chairman of Taifong Golf Club, but also the President of Taiwan Glass Group. By incorporating the group’s name into the event, the tournament maintains Taifong’s pivotal role while also leveraging the group’s resources to present a more diversified event profile. This allows more overseas players to get to know a Taiwanese multinational enterprise, experience an international-standard championship golf course, and fully enjoy this high-tension, top-level event.
Taifong Golf Club’s uniquely designed clubhouse, the “Chia-Ching Clubhouse,” was created by internationally renowned architect Álvaro Siza and opened in 2020. Combining aesthetics and comfort, it offers world-class service and scenery and seamlessly integrates sport with art. Competing or playing golf on such a course is truly a great pleasure for both players and guests.
For this event, the course has been set up entirely to Asian Tour standards. The total yardage is 7,255 yards. To ensure that players can fully showcase their skills, the greens and fairways have been prepared in optimal condition. Green speeds this week have reached 10.5, and bunkers on holes 13, 17, and 18 have been extended to increase difficulty, while the rough has been adjusted to meet Asian Tour specifications.
Today’s final round (11/16) was broadcast live, presenting the players’ exciting competition in real time, with live coverage starting at 11:30 a.m. and a replay at 8:00 p.m. on BOS Golf 2.
