2026 ThreeBond HWAN TAI Challenge Tour

Round 1

Oct. 13, 2026

The 7th leg of the 2026 ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour, the HWAN TAI Challenge Tour, held its opening round today, October 13, at the Shong-Bor-Ling Golf Club in Nantou. Lin Yuan-wei and Li Cheng-yuan both carded 3-under-par 69s to share the early lead, while Tsai Ching-yang and Lo Cheng-yuan sit one stroke back at 70, tied for third place.

Seven other players—including Li Shang-jung, Hsiao Ho-yu, Tseng Feng-tung, Chen Po-hao, Li Shih-hong, Lin Kai-chieh, and Lin Wei—shot 71s, two strokes behind the leaders and tied for fifth, keeping them firmly in contention for tomorrow's final round.

Tan Chieh-sheng carded a 74 to stand as the top-performing amateur among the seven in the field, sitting tied for 24th overall on the professional leaderboard.

Tomorrow's final round concludes the 36-hole, two-round tournament featuring 76 players (including 7 amateurs) competing for the championship trophy and the NT$150,000 top prize. Played under a non-cut format, prize money will be awarded to the top 40 players and ties upon the completion of the tournament.

This 36-hole event marks the seventh tournament of the season on the ThreeBond Challenge Tour, featuring a total prize purse of NT$1 million. This is the second consecutive year that Hwan Tai Cement Products Co., Ltd. has served as the single-station title sponsor, co-organizing the event alongside ThreeBond and the Taiwan Professional Golf Association (TPGA).

Lin Yuan-wei carded five birdies and two bogeys, backed by a sharp putter and solid irons. Starting from the par-5 1st hole, he immediately capitalized with a pitch-and-putt birdie. He added birdie conversions from 12 and 7 feet on the 9th and 10th holes respectively, drained his longest birdie putt of the day from 21 feet on the short par-3 13th, and capped off his round by sinking a 15-foot downhill birdie putt on the par-5 18th. His two bogeys came on the par-3 6th, where an insufficient tee shot and heavy chip led to a two-putt, and on the par-5 11th, where a light chip left him reaching the green in four before two-putting.

Lin hit 12 greens in regulation and required 27 putts. He noted that the small greens present a massive challenge due to tricky speeds and grain reading, acknowledging that missing five birdie looks from 9 to 12 feet was acceptable given how difficult Shong-Bor-Ling's putting surfaces are to master. Having turned professional in 2019 and representing the Taiwan Golf Club, Lin will seek his maiden professional victory in tomorrow's finale.

Li Cheng-yuan posted four birdies and a bogey, adopting a unique strategy of leaving his driver in the bag and relying entirely on his 3-wood and utility wood off the tee. The tactic paid off; although he found 10 fairways, he avoided major mistakes and maintained clear scoring opportunities into the greens, complemented by 28 putts.

Starting from the 10th tee, Li immediately struck with back-to-back birdies from 10 and 8 feet. On his back nine, he converted scoring opportunities on the par-5 1st and par-3 4th holes using precise irons and putting. His sole blemish came on the 18th hole, where a three-putt resulted in a bogey.

Li shared that he missed three birdie putts from 10 feet. Having recently fine-tuned his swing mechanics and posture—adjustments that took a couple of events to get used to—he felt much more in control this week, boosting his overall precision. Having turned professional in 2024, he splits his time between teaching and competing, and will also hunt for his first career win tomorrow.

Tsai Ching-yang carded five birdies and three bogeys, displaying consistent iron and putter performance. Three of his birdies came from long-range putts exceeding 15 feet, including a 15-footer on the 9th and 18-footers on the 15th and 16th holes, alongside two conversions from 3 to 6 feet. His highlight of the day came on the par-4 12th hole, where after hitting his tee shot into the water, he recovered brilliantly by hitting his third shot to 5 feet and sinking the putt to save par. He hit 13 greens in regulation and recorded 29 putts.

Tsai noted post-round that Shong-Bor-Ling features narrow fairways requiring precise tee-shot placement, while heavy green grain makes short putts difficult to read, though he appreciated the calm, pleasant weather.

Lo Cheng-yuan tallied five birdies, a double bogey, and a bogey. Starting from the 10th hole, he surged forward on the front nine by stringing together three consecutive birdies from the 13th to the 15th holes—highlighted by a chip-in from 7 yards out on the 13th, alongside 5-foot and 4-foot putts. He added two more birdies on the 1st and 2nd holes of his back nine before stumbling with a bogey on the 5th due to misfired irons and putts, followed by a costly double bogey on the 8th after errors in driving, iron play, and putting.

Lo enjoyed pinpoint driving accuracy, finding nearly every fairway except for the 8th, where his drive drifted to an adjacent hole. His sub-100-yard wedge play was equally sharp, hitting 14 greens in regulation with 29 putts. He attributed his improved distance and accuracy to recent adjustments in his wood play, primarily launching the ball higher.

Hwan Tai Cement previously served as the single-station title sponsor for the Taiwan Tour Hwan Tai Open—featuring a total prize purse of NT$3 million—for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023. Furthermore, Hwan Tai Cement Chairman Li Shih-pin has consistently sponsored numerous professional men's golf tournaments hosted in the Taichung region over the years.

Designed and supervised by the "Father of Taiwanese Golf" Mr. Chen Chin-liong, the Shong-Bor-Ling Golf Club in Nantou features nine holes constructed in 1980, with the full 18-hole course completed in 1982. Situated on the Shong-Bor-Ling plateau in the Bagua mountain range, the course boasts breathtaking panoramic views overlooking renowned scenic landmarks such as Jiji Mountain, Yushan, Xitou, and even Hehuanshan, offering a truly refreshing and relaxing atmosphere. While the course commands expansive vistas, its narrow fairways, flanking tree lines, undulating terrain, significant elevation changes, demanding tee-shot placement, and tricky putting surfaces pose a rigorous test of skill.

The tournament course measures 6,853 yards in total length. Tee times for both the first and second rounds commence at 6:30 AM, with the final group teeing off at 8:30 AM.

Taiwan Fushing Industrial Co., Ltd. Chairman Lin Jui-chang continues his sponsorship this year by providing supplemental Order of Merit bonuses of NT$500,000, NT$300,000, and NT$200,000 for the top three finishers on the ThreeBond Challenge Tour season standings.

ThreeBond, a multinational enterprise originating from professional industrial adhesives in Japan, is marking its 12th year as the title sponsor of the TPGA Challenge Tour. The 2026 ThreeBond TPGA Challenge Tour maintains a schedule of nine events.

Tournament Special Awards (active across the two rounds on October 13–14):

Hole-in-One Prizes: Holes 4, 6, 13, and 17 feature an NT$12,000 cash prize provided by Shong-Bor-Ling Golf Club, alongside the club's standard course-sponsored items. Course Record Bonus: NT$20,000 provided by the club for breaking the existing course record low of 67.

Amateur Champion Supplementary Prizes: Five dozen Srixon Z-Star Diamond golf balls sponsored by Dunlop Sports Taiwan, and an Omnix golf bag provided by Shang Chong International Co., Ltd.

Spectators are not permitted to walk the course. Spectator access is strictly restricted to the 1st and 10th tee boxes and the areas surrounding the 9th and 18th greens. For safety reasons, children under 6 and pets are prohibited on the course.