The Philippine Open, the region’s oldest national open, will return this year boasting record prize money of US$1million and with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) as presenting partner.

It will be played at Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club, from 12–15 November and play a crucial role in deciding who wins the Order of Merit race.

This year will mark the first time that the tournament, which was inaugurated in 1913, has reached the US$1million mark in prize money, double the purse on offer last year when Frenchman Julien Sale earned his maiden Tour win.

It will also be the most lucrative sports event in the country this year.

For PSC, today’s announcement represents an important extension of their relationship with the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP) and the Asian Tour, and their commitment to promoting the best sporting events in the Philippines. PSC were also presenting partner for the Philippine Golf Championship this year – the Asian Tour’s season-opening event.

Patrick Gregorio, Chairman, PSC, said: “Sports is a key to unlocking the Philippines’ potential for golf tourism. Our people, our athletes, and our destinations are ready to host events of this level. Through partnerships with NGAP and the Asian Tour, we want to continue raising the bar — creating greater opportunities for athlete development, destination development, and ultimately for Philippine sports and tourism.”

Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

The Philippine Open returned to the Asian Tour last year following a hiatus of 10 years. It was a popular return for one of the region’s most endearing national opens that means so much to the Asian Tour.

Local hero, Miguel Tabuena has confirmed he will compete and will attempt to claim the title for a third time after victories in 2015 and 2018. He triumphed in the International Series Philippines last year, for one of his country’s greatest sporting victories.

Al Panlilio, President, NGAP, said: “Breaking the US$1 million mark is a landmark moment for the Philippine Open and a powerful statement about the growth and potential of golf in the Philippines. With the support of the Philippine Sports Commission, the Asian Tour and Manila Southwoods, we are giving our players a bigger stage while showcasing the Philippines as a world-class golf and sports destination. NGAP is proud to help take the Philippine Open to this next level.”

Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner & CEO, Asian Tour, said: “We welcomed back the Philippine Open with open arms at the start of last year, and we are excited to see it back this year in such a prominent position. It’s an event of huge importance to use, as is our relationship with the NGAP.

“The tournament is a natural fit for the ambitions of the Philippine Sports Commission, and along with Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club, we are truly grateful for their backing and enthusiasm.

This year will mark the sixth time that Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club has hosted the event. It also staged it in 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2025.

The tournament will be played on their Masters Course.

Bob Sobrapeno, President, Manila Southwoods Golf & Country Club, said: “We are pleased to host the 2026 Philippine Open and be a part of the Asian Tour. Our club has always supported both amateur and professional golf and there is no other event larger than the Philippine Open which will showcase the best of Philippine golf. We will do our very best to prepare and present our golf course at its very best to provide a true test of championship golf for all the participants. We thank the National Golf Association of the Philippines and the Asian Tour for holding this prestigious event at our club. Rest assured we will do our part to ensure the success of this year’s Philippine Open!”

The Asian Tour heads to the SJM Macao Open next week and will be followed by the Link Hong Kong Open the week after before attention turns to the national open of the Philippines.

Main picture: Julien Sale pictured winning last year.

Two golfing icons, Lee Westwood and Paul Casey, plus Anthony Kim have announced they will compete in the Link Hong Kong Open, to be played in just two weeks time.

They are the latest big-name additions to the US$2million event, which already includes: Hong Kong number one Taichi Kho, America’s  Harold Varner III and Talor Gooch, plus South Africans Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Dean Burmester.

The 65^th edition of the event will take place at the Hong Kong Golf Club from 22-25 October.

English veteran Westwood will be returning to the tournament for the first time since 2009, and said: “It has been a long time since I competed at the Hong Kong Open, and I cannot wait to return to compete against the strong field of players who have signed up this year. While I have not played this tournament for nearly 20 years, I have visited this beautiful city many times during this time. I enjoy the energy of Hong Kong very much, and I always have the best experience when I am there.”

The 53-year-old is a former world number one and recorded top three finishes in Majors no less than six times since he turned professional in 1993. With 44 professional wins, he has put together one of the most consistent and decorated careers in modern golf history. He is also an eight time winner on the Asian Tour.

His countryman, Casey is playing the Link Hong Kong Open for the second consecutive year, following a 20-year hiatus when he entered the tournament as a 28-year-old in 2005. A 21-time winner on tour, Casey has carded top-10s in all four Majors, with his best result coming at the 2020 PGA Championship, when he finished in tied second place.

The former world number three said: “I love the fans in Hong Kong as they are a knowledgeable crowd and really appreciate great golf. That’s why I have been a frequent traveler to this amazing city the last few years. I am looking forward to competing well there, and to showing appreciation to my fans there.”

Entering the tour as a sensational young prodigy in 2006, Kim reached number six in the world two years later and had three PGA Tour titles under his belt before the age of 25. The American then dropped off the world circuit due to injury and did not play competitive golf again until March 2024.

Anthony Kim. Picture by Jordan Bank/Getty Images.

It took the 41-year-old one season to find his form, and by February 2026, Kim was back in the winner’s circle when he secured arguably the most historic of individual comeback victories in sport when he won LIV Golf Adelaide in front of nearly 40,000 fans.

The Los Angeles native said: “I always have a great time playing in Hong Kong and enjoyed my four rounds at the Link Hong Kong Open last year. This year has been unbelievable for me, and I am so grateful to be back playing full time. Golf has given me so much and I will give it my all with this second opportunity that has been presented to me. I look forward to catching up with my fans in Hong Kong and showing my appreciation for their support.”

The Link Hong Kong Open 2026 champion will earn an automatic invitation to compete at the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club and a starting place at The Open at St Andrews in 2027.

Admission to the opening rounds on Thursday and Friday is free for the public.

In keeping with the tournament and title sponsor’s vision to take golf to all communities of Hong Kong, ticket prices have been frozen at current prices since 2023.

The tournament is proud of being an “M” Mark event that helps enhance the image of Hong Kong as Asia’s sports event capital. The “M” Mark, awarded by the Major Sports Events Committee, symbolises it as an intense, spectacular and signature event on the territory’s sports calendar.

Daily prices for Saturday and Sunday are HKD200 per day or HKD300 for a weekend pass. Weekend passes are also free for spectators 18 and under.

For more information please visit: www.thehongkongopen.com

Main picture: Lee Westwood. Picture by Getty Images.

Tom Kim [main picture] put together a brilliant final round to win the gold medal in the individual category at the Asian Games today – adding another prestigious continental title to his collection, to go along with his Asian Tour Order of Merit crown.

Kim showed today why is one of the game’s most exciting young players, and a four-time winner on the PGA TOUR, when he fired a confident six-under-par 64 for a three-stroke victory. He finished on 18-under on the East Course at Kasugai Country Club, Nagoya, Japan.

Kazuki Higa from Japan, Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana, and Ding Wenyi from China, tied for second and entered a play-off to decide the silver and bronze medal positions.

Higa, last year’s Asian Tour number one, secured the silver after making birdie on the fourth extra hole, while Sadom won bronze, after he made birdie on the first hole of a second play-off. The play-offs were played in the 18^th. Higa had closed with a 66, Sadom a 63 and Ding a 64.

Ding’s disappointment was significantly lessened by the fact that China beat Korea to the team gold.

Tom Kim. Picture by Zhe Ji/Getty Images.

His performance, along with his team-mate Jin Zihao, who closed with a 66, saw them take the team title by two shots from Korea. Japan claimed the bronze finishing another three shots back. The two best scores from each three-man counted towards the team score.

Kim, aged 24, started the day with a one-shot cushion and pulled away from the field from the outset. The 2020-2022 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner birdied holes two, four, six and eight before leaving the chasing pack trailing in his wake with a birdie on 11 and eagle on 13. He dropped his only shot of the day on 17, by which time he had well and truly sealed the individual title.

That dropped shot on the penultimate hole proved to be costly though in the team competition. Korea were tied with China over the closing holes while Kim’s countryman Mun Doyeob also dropped a shot at the same hole.

Consolation for Kim is that his gold medal means he will be excused from his mandatory military service, except for a few weeks of basic training. All able-bodied males in Korea are obligated to serve between 18 and 21 months in the military once they turn 19. They can postpone the date of their service, but without a significant cultural justification, like an Olympic medal, service is mandatory. The gold medal in the men’s or team competitions was sufficient.

In the women’s tournament India’s Pranavi Sharath Urs won the individual gold, with China claiming the team gold.

Tom Kim [main picture] has control of the Asian Games after taking the third-round lead today on the East Course at Kasugai Country Club, Nagoya, Japan.

The former Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, who now plies his trade on the PGA TOUR, fired a five-under-par 65 to lead on 12-under.

Japan’s Kazuki Higa, last year’s Merit list winner, and Wang Wei-hsuan from Chinese-Taipei are in second pace, one shot back. Higa returned a 67 and Wang a 68, in what is the 20^th staging of the quadrennial event.

China’s Ding Wenyi is in sole possession of fourth following a 70, while Sadom Kaewkanjana (63) from Thailand, Korean Mun Doyeob (69), and Japan’s Keita Nakajima (70), and are equal fifth. Nakajima won the individual and team gold in 2018 in Indonesia when he was an amateur.

Korea’s Kim made up ground over the closing holes with an eagle on the par- five 13^th and a birdie on hole 16.

Kazuki Higa. Picture by Zhe Ji/Getty Images.

His and Mun’s rounds saw Korea, who also have Kim Seonghyeon in their side, move to the top of the team standings, ahead of Japan with China presently in the bronze medal position. Korea are the defending champions in the team competition, although they have a completely different team this year. The two best scores from each team count.

Kim, the 2022 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, also has one eye on trying to win a gold medal so that he will be excused from his mandatory military service. All able-bodied males in Korea are obligated to serve between 18 and 21 months in the military once they turn 19. They can postpone the date of their service, but without a significant cultural justification, like an Olympic medal, service is mandatory. A gold medal in the men’s or team competitions will be sufficient.

Taichi Kho returned a 69 to finish on two-under meaning the Hong Kong number one has too much to do tomorrow to successfully defend his individual title that he won at the 2022 Asian Games, in China.

A total of 20 Asian Tour members are competing out of a starting field of 66 players.

The Games, officially known as Aichi-Nagoya 2026, are being held mainly in Aichi Prefecture and its capital city, Nagoya.

It is the third time Japan has hosted the multi-sport event, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.

Approximately 11,000 athletes are competing in over 43 sports featuring 469 medal events.

Chinese-Taipei’s Wang Wei-hsuan [main picture] and Ding Wenyi from China took a share of the halfway lead today at the Asian Games – on the East Course at Kasugai Country Club, in Nagoya, Japan

Wang, the joint-first round leader, added a second-round four-under-par 66 to his opening day 65 to move to nine under, while Ding shot a 64.

Japan’s Kazuki Higa, last year’s Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, fired a 67 to sit in third place with countryman Keita Nakajina, one shot back. Nakajima, who won the individual gold in 2018, returned a 63.

Koreans Tom Kim and Mun Doyeob are next best placed, one back, after a 62 and 67 respectively.

Wang began the day sharing the lead with Higa and continued to set the pace by making the turn in three-under. He began his round on hole 10 and made three birdies on the back nine without dropping a shot. Another birdie followed on his 12^th before he dropped his only shot of the day on his 16^th. A birdie on his penultimate hole saw him move ahead.

He will be aiming to emulate his brother Wang Wei-lun who was part of the Chinese-Taipei team that claimed the gold in 2014.

That same year CT Pan, who currently plays on the PGA TOUR, became the only player from Chinese-Taipei to win gold individually. Chinese-Taipei also won the team title in 2002.

Ding, the three-time China Amateur champion and winner of the Asia Pacific Amateur in 2024, is attempting to become the first player from his country to win individual gold. He was bogey free today, making six birdies.

They were both helped by Higa making a double on his 15^th.

Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho, who claimed the gold medal individually in the last games, fired a 70 and is eight off the lead.

In the team competition Japan lead the way, with China second and Korea, winner of the team gold in 2022, third.

A total of 20 Asian Tour members are competing out of a starting field of 66 players.

Reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Kazuki Higa [main picture] from Japan and Wang Wei-hsuan from Chinese-Taipei took the first-round lead today at the Asian Games in Japan – on a day when Asian Tour members exceled.

They shot five-under-par 65s on the East Course at Kasugai Country Club, in the 20^th edition of the quadrennial event, which is being held mainly in Aichi Prefecture and its capital city, Nagoya.

Korean Mun Doyeob and China’s Sampson Zheng, also both Asian Tour members, finished the day in a tie for third following 66s. They were joined by India’s Saptak Talwar and Keita Nakajima from Japan.

Tom Kim from Korea, the 2020-2022 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion, carded a 67 and is next best placed with Ding Wenyi from China.

Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho, who is attempting to win back-to-back gold medals in the individual category having been successful at the 2022 games in China, fired a 69 to stay in the hunt.

Wang Wei-hsuan.

Both Higa and Wang have been in form on the Asian Tour recently, with Higa coming close to successfully defending his Yeangder TPC title two weeks ago in Chinese-Taipei. He finished runner-up while Wang tied for fourth.

Chinese-Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao, winner of last week’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters, shot a 72 and will need to find some form quickly if he is to come close to matching the bronze medal he won in 2022.

With the two best scores from each team counting, Japan lead the team competition from Korea and China who are tied for second. Taishi Moto is the third member of the Japanese side with Higa and Nakajima.

Korea are the defending champions in the team competition, although they feature a completely different line up this year with Kim Seonghyeon playing alongside Tom Kim and Mun.

A total of 20 Asian Tour members are competing in the Asian Games out of a starting field of 66 players.

Live scores scores and tee times here.

Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert [main picture], the current leader of the Asian Tour Order of Merit, will lead a strong line-up of Asian Tour players at this week’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which tees-off tomorrow.

Pavit is one of 14 Asian Tour members competing in the celebrated event, which is played over three courses: Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.

The others are his compatriot Jazz Janewattananond, Australians Wade Ormsby, Cameron John, Will Florimo, Jack Thompson, Ryan Peake, and Kevin Yuan, plus Americans Austen Truslow, Charles Porter, Peter Uilhein and Ollie Schniederjans, New Zealander Nick Voke and Bjorn Hellgren from Sweden.

Pavit made the long trip to the Home of Golf immediately after finishing the Mercuries Taiwan Masters on Sunday, as did Jazz, Ormsby, Thompson, Florimo, Yuan, Truslow and Uilhein.

Pavit pictured this week at he Alfred Dunhill Links Championship with former Asian Tour Order of Merit champions Shubhankar Sharma [left] and Kiradech Aphibarnrat [right].

The Thai star finished equal seventh in the tournament to consolidate his lead at the top of the Merit list, having won the Yeangder TPC the week before, also in Chinese Taipei.

He’ll be hoping that form carries over into this week, as will Ormsby, who finished second on Sunday.

The majority of Asian Tour players competing this week are playing through a category for the leading players from the Asian Tour Order of Merit, as the result of the renewed partnership with the DP World Tour, as well as the PGA TOUR.

Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho will commence the defence of his Asian Games individual title tomorrow – when the event’s golf tournament tees-off on the East Course at Kasugai Country Club in Japan.

In what will arguably be the biggest participation of Asian Tour members in a tournament outside of an Asian Tour event, Kho will lead 20 members out of a starting field of 66 players.

Three years ago Kho became the first player from Hong Kong to win the gold medal, when the Games was held in Hangzhou, China. The quadrennial event was due to be played in 2022 but was pushed back a year because of the global pandemic.

He also helped the Hong Kong team – which consisted of himself, Matthew Cheung, Jason Hak and Ng Shing Fung – claim the bronze medal.

Presently, sitting in third place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, thanks to a brilliant win at the International Series Morocco in July, Kho is in fine form and is also hoping that familiarity with his team and the host nation will be a big help.

“Really excited,” said Kho, who is joined this year once more by Cheung and Hak.

“It’s in Nagoya, so a little closer to where I’ve been playing this year, which I think I’ll have some experience over there, which will be nice. We have pretty much the same team again, so yeah, I’m really looking forward to the week.”

Last week’s winner of the Mercuries Taiwan Masters Hung Chien-yao is competing in the Asian Games after winning bronze last time. Picture by Graham Uden.

He beat PGA Tour star Im Sung-jae by a shot to win the gold. Remarkably it was in his first season as a professional and not long after his famous first victory on Asian Tour at the World City Championship.

He said: “I think winning that gold medal last time was probably still the best golf I’ve ever played. I was 22 under through two rounds, having opened with a 62 and 60 and I was just completely in the zone. I was able to fend off some really great players on the weekend. So, I think until that tap and drop on the last hole, it hadn’t really sunk in, and when that tap went in, I was, yeah, full of joy.”

Im lead the Korean team, along with Kim Si-woo, Jang Yu-bin and Cho Woo-young, to the team gold, while Thailand took the silver. The Thai team consisted of Atiruj Winaicharoenchai, Danthai Boonma, Poom Saksansin, and Phachara Khongwatmai.

“I think going back to Asian Games, it’s about being with your teammates, about the people you grew up playing with,” said Kho.

“So, I’m really looking forward to playing with those guys that I’ve grown up playing with, and the coaches, and you know, even the girls’ team. So I’m really looking forward to that.”

He will be attempting to become the first player to win more than one gold medal in the individual category.

Poom is the only member of the Thai team from three years ago who is back this time. He is joined by Sadom Kaewkanjana and Laopakdee ‘Fifa’ Pongsapak, the amateur star who won the Asian Amateur Championship and SEA Games gold medal last year.

Hung Chien-yao, winner of last week’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters, claimed the individual bronze three years ago and is once again part of the Chinese-Taipei team, along with Chan Shih-chang and Wang Wei-hsuan.

Miguel Tabuena is also competing, having last played in 2000 when he won the silver media individually.

Reigning Asian Tour Order of Merit champion Kazuki Higa is part of the Japan team.

Tom Kim, the 2020-2022 Asian Tour Order of Merit champion now plying his trade on the PGA TOUR with great success, is representing Korea, along with ⁠Doyeob Mun and Kim Seonghyeon.

The men’s tournament is happening at the same time as the women’s event, on the same course.

This year is the 20^th edition of the Asian Games, officially known as Aichi-Nagoya 2026. It is being held mainly in Aichi Prefecture and its capital city, Nagoya.

It is the third time Japan has hosted the multi-sport event, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.

Approximately 11,000 athletes are competing in over 43 sports featuring 469 medal events.

Miguel Tabuena. Picture by Graham Uden.

Full list of Asian Tour members competing at the Asian Games:

Bangladesh: ⁠Siddikur Rahman

China: ⁠Sampson Zheng, Jin Zihao

Chinese-Taipei: Chan Shih-chang, Hung Chien-yao, Wang Wei-hsuan

Hong Kong: Matthew Cheung, Jason Shunyat Hak, Taichi Kho

India: ⁠Yuvraj Sandhu

Indonesia: Naraajie Ramadhanputra, Jonathan Wijono

Japan: ⁠Kazuki Higa

Korea: ⁠Doyeob Mun

Philippines: Miguel Tabuena, Carl Jano Corpus

Singapore: James Leo, Nicklaus Chiam

Thailand: ⁠Sadom Kaewkanjana, Poom Saksansin

Asian Games tee-times and results here

Main picture: Taichi Kho with his Asian Games gold medal. Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

There was plenty of drama at last week’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters and plenty of great comments from the players who were in the thick of the action. Here are the best of the quotes from a memorable week which saw Hung Chien-yao  claim his first title on the Asian Tour.

First Round

Jbe Kruger from South Africa, who won this tournament in 2024, after sharing the mid-day lead on Thursday with a 68 (-4):

• “It was brutal. It’s just a tough golf course. You have to play well. You can’t make mistakes. Every single shot you have to concentrate on because it’s just that tough. The greens are so fast, if you miss the fairways, you can’t stop it. So, you have to physically try and hit the fairway, and if you don’t, you’re just trying to get it on the green. So, it’s just not a normal golf course. It’s literally try to hit the fairway, then you try and hit the green because the greens are so fast and they’re so good.”

Kruger’s playing partner Malaysian Gavin Green, the winner of this event and the Asian Tour Order of Merit in 2017 posted a 68 in the morning wave and had this to say:

• “Obviously, had not much real expectations. I’ve been injured for like three months now. The place has changed a lot for me; I think I just actually played quite well and had the feeling of playing nice again.”

Thailand’s Atiruj Winaicharoenchai playing in the afternoon, on his 68 on the difficult Tamsui layout:

• “I am trying to get better every year and try new things. I have been playing in tough conditions already, so I am prepared for this week.”

Kevin Yuan from Australia took the lead late in the day after a 67 that included an eagle on the fifth hole, his 14^th:

• “So me and Clayton [his caddie] were thinking about hitting driver to reach because we had the front tee box this week, and driver’s been feeling good. So, I hit driver and hit it to like maybe 18 feet, just short of the flag, and I hit a really good putt there. So yeah, it was a driver and a holed putt.”

On his start on the notoriously tricky par three 10^th hole, the most difficult hole of the day:

• “I started off with a great birdie on 10, and 10’s always such a tough hole to start. Had a great four iron, and then holed a really good 15-footer, and then made a huge par on 11, and then yeah, it’s just been up and down. Like I made a few big pars today which really helped my score, because on this course it’s quite easy to make a bogey. The rough is really thick and the fairways are pretty tiny, so you miss the fairway and you’re just trying to save par.”

Gavin Green. Picture by Graham Uden.

Second Round

Hung Chien-yao from Chinese Taipei finished third the week before at Yeangder TPC and continued his good form of late on Friday with a 67 to sit T2 going into the weekend:

• “Ah, to be honest, after the pro-am I was playing nine holes on Monday with my wife, and I just feel like this is one of the toughest courses. You know, you just gotta stay with it, you just have to play smart. You don’t have to really attack. So my plan today was just hit more fairways and more greens than yesterday, and just give myself a lot more chances and I think I will just do well.”

On having his wife on the bag for the second week in a row:

• “I had a bogey on the first, so I was kind of not happy with it. But it’s all right because I talked to my wife, and she was like, “You know, this is one of the courses where it’s going to happen. So just stay with it, go to the next hole, next shot, and just do well”.

Asked about his recent form that has seen him with six top-10s in a row in tournaments on the Asian Tour, Asian Development Tour and local circuit he said:

• “Really? I never noticed, so I don’t know. But I think that’s a pretty good result. I mean, that means my game is getting there, so I just gotta be patient and wait, and then hopefully, you know, one day it will be coming.”

First round leader Yuan after finishing his round bogey, bogey for a 73:

• “Definitely up and down for me. It’s so tough, just you miss the fairway a little bit, and even if you have like 100, 120 meters, it’s still really tough to just guess what the lie is going to do, guess what the wind’s gonna do. And yeah, I think on 17 I just hit a bad tee shot, but it’s a tough par three. And then on 18, I was in the middle of the fairway and I had a great lie, and I was like, let’s try to attack this. And I must have just got a flier from the middle of the fairway, and I don’t know what to think about that.”

Green is on the comeback trail after posting a 71 to be five under and in joint second at the halfway stage:

• “Yeah, I mean it’s honestly a great feeling, and it’s good to be here again. Like I miss this, I miss this a lot, so I’m looking forward to the weekend. Look, it’s obviously going to be some challenges, and I just got to deal with it and kind of just play with it.”

Explaining his elbow injury he said:

• “It’s not 100%, it’s not. I’m still running a little bit on ibuprofen’s and just trying to calm it down a little bit. And then you know, in the room, in the mornings and nights, I still have to stretch it out and try to loosen it as much as I can. So, yeah, just managing it really.”

Tied with Green and Hung for second after a 69 was Suteepat Prateeptienchai from Thailand, the winner of the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open in 2023 and 2024 and the Yeangder TPC in 2024. Asked why he plays so well in Chinese Taipei he said:

• “I think it’s that I have many good friends here. I like the food, and I play local tournaments every year that I got the card. I think that is an advantage.”

Home player Chang Wei-lun topped the leaderboard on six-under-par through 36 holes and he had this to say after his 68:

• “Really very happy to play well in such a big tournament. We all know how challenging the course is, so we come here prepared. It’s tough, but at the same time the greens are just so good to play on. Course familiarity is key here. I’m using a local caddie, and he was able to read the greens well so that helped.”

Third Round

Hung again posted a score in red figures with a 70 to take over the lead from his countryman after 54 holes:

• “Yeah, I am excited about tomorrow, I’m always excited. I mean, I finished number three last week, and playing pretty good on this course. I know a lot of crowds, a lot of spectators, are actually here for me, so I’m just gonna enjoy the round tomorrow and just try to hit a lot of good shots to show everybody.”

Green remained in tied-second after a solid 71 and put himself in a great position for the final round, just one off the lead:

• “Yeah, I’m excited. Like I said, I think what it is for me is I’m just trying to get that consistency. As long as I can just continue with that consistency, whatever happens, happens. But all I know is I’m enjoying myself. You know, it’s fun, for me this is like home again. So, yeah, it’s good to be back.”

Jazz Janewattananond. Picture by Graham Uden.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond is again having a good tournament after finishing T4 at the Yeangder TPC, coming back from a rough first round of 75 to post 68, 69 on Friday and Saturday to be T5 going into Sunday:

• “I think the first round I got a bit too eager, because the scoring last week and this week has been so different. I feel like I was chasing it a bit too much on the first day, because I still had that mentality of like, you gotta go out and shoot like five six under par or you’re dropping. In this case, you don’t really need to chase it here. You just like pop it along, and then you just gotta hole some chips, hole some big putts, and be on your merry way.”

Final Round

An elated Hung after making a birdie on the last hole to win, after bogeying 16 and 17 to drop into a tie with Australian Wade Ormsby:

• “I’m very excited and very, very happy, I think my whole body is still shaking. You know, I’m very happy and I’m thankful for all the people to come out here to support me. I know a lot of people were coming out here to watch me play, and I have to apologise to the spectators because I made people nervous because of my bogeys on 16 and 17. But on the last putt I made it, and I’m very happy with the final result. I’m very happy, I can’t say nothing more about it.”

Speaking about the birdie on the 72^nd hole he said:

• “It was actually 20 feet, uphill putt, I thought I had the line. I know it’s not gonna do much, so I’m just gonna go straight at it, and I just need to have good speed. I hit a good putt and then finally the ball went in, so I’m very, very happy. And I think my wife was really happy, she was crying, so thanks to her too.”

Wade Ormsby started the final round five shots behind Hung, but teeing off an hour ahead he posted a 67 to put serious heat on the leading groups:

• “Yeah, I’m satisfied with that one. I played well yesterday but I didn’t finish it off, so I was really determined to kind of knuckle down on that back nine, which I found pretty tough all week. I think it’s tough for everyone. I made a good save on the last there, so it always leaves a good taste in the mouth. Had a good chance on 15 and 16, but yeah, it’s tough out there. I did think I had a chance today. I had a look [at the scoreboard] after I hit my chip shot on 18, so I knew I had to make that to do anything. I guess you do think about it, but you kind of just try to keep doing your job.”

Green stayed positive after a round of 73 that saw him finish tied-third, his best result in the last two years:

• “Obviously, a little bit of nerves kicked in and it’s been a while since I’ve been in this position. I don’t see it as a negative; I see it as a positive and I’m looking forward to the next one.”

Summing up his first week back on the Asian Tour since early 2024 he said:

• “I think it’s a pretty positive week, a very, very good week. You know, I was pretty lucky enough where I was able to hold myself in that position for pretty much the whole time, and you know, I was close to the lead and just didn’t get it done unfortunately.”

About his outlook on the rest of his season:

• “It does feel good, and the funny thing is, it doesn’t feel like it’s that far off. I mean, in this game the misses are so small and everything, but I definitely don’t feel that it’s that far off. I feel like I’m closer than what it looks like, and you know, it’s showing slowly. I mean, I have two weeks off now, and get my arm rested and go again in Macau.”

Jazz recapping his week in Tamsui after a final round 71 to finish T3:

• “Happy with the week, happy with how I finished especially after the first day, where I was sitting way below the cut line, to finish third again. To finish top five, is really something to be proud of myself and I know where my game is at the moment. Meaning, it’s a lot better because if you can do that every week, and then when you have all four good days, you can win the tournament.”

Chinese-Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao [main picture] claimed the Mercuries Taiwan Masters today after a pulsating finish that saw him finally win his first Asian Tour title after a two decades long wait.

He drained a brilliant 20-foot putt for birdie on the final hole to beat Australia’s Wade Ormsby by a shot, after having been cruising to victory before costly bogeys on 16 and 17.

Hung fired a one-under-par 71 to finish on eight-under-par here at Taiwan Golf & Country Club, while Ormsby did his best to spoil his party by shooting a 67 – the joint lowest round of the day.

Korea’s Wang Jeunghun (71), Jazz Janewattananond (71) and Suteepat Prateeptienchai (72) from Thailand, and Malaysian Gavin Green (73), the champion here in 2017, tied for third, three behind Hung.

“I’m very excited and very, very happy. I think my whole body is still shaking,” said Hung, whose wife Nikki was caddying for him.

“You know, I’m very happy and I’m thankful for all the people to come out here to support me. I know a lot of people were coming out here to watch me play, and I have to apologise to the spectators because I made people nervous because of my bogeys on 16 and 17. But on the last putt I made it, and I’m very happy with the final result. I’m very happy, I can’t say nothing more about it.”

Hung Chien-yao.

He had started the day with a one-shot lead and, playing in the final group, made the ideal start with a birdie on the first and by the turn led by two from Ormsby.

Ormsby, playing five groups ahead, did not take the pressure off on the second nine and closed the gap to one when made birdie on 13 while Hung dropped a shot on 10.

The experienced Australian, chasing his sixth victory on the Asian Tour, parred his way home meaning the tournament was Hung’s to lose.

Hung appeared in complete control when he birdied the 14^th to go two ahead but he missed a 10 footer on 16 and saw a six footer on the penultimate hole slide by the cup.

A sudden-death play-off looked a strong possibility before Hung’s stunning finish saw him celebrate a putt like never before.

“It was actually 20 feet, uphill putt, I thought I had the line. I know it’s not gonna do much, so I’m just gonna go straight at it, and I just need to have good speed. I hit a good putt and then finally the ball went in, so I’m very, very happy. And I think my wife was really happy, she was crying, so thanks to her too.”

The win is perfect preparation for the 34-year-old ahead of next week’s Asian Games in Japan.

The maiden victory comes long after he first started playing on the Asian Tour in the mid-2000s when he was an amateur.

Having finished third in last week’s Yeangder TPC and having won the Ambassador ADT Open in July, for his third title on the Asian Development Tour, the signs were there that a first win on the Asian Tour was coming.

Wade Ormsby.

Since becoming a member of the Asian Tour in 2012, he has finished second once – in last year’s Taiwan Glass Taifong Open – third four times, and fourth on four occasions.

He is now in sixth place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, having earned a lucrative cheque for US$240,000.

Said Ormsby: “Yeah, I’m satisfied with that one. I played well yesterday, but I didn’t finish it off, so I was really determined to kind of knuckle down on that back nine, which I found pretty tough all week. I think it’s tough for everyone. I made a good save on the last there, so it always leaves a good taste in the mouth. Had a good chance on 15 and 16, but yeah, it’s tough out there.

“I did think I had a chance today. There’s just so many guys there, so yeah, I tried not to look at scoreboards all day. I had a look after I hit my chip shot on 18, so I knew I had to make that to do anything. I guess you do think about it, but you kind of just try to keep doing your job.”

Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert enjoyed another good week, returning a 69 to tie for seventh. Last week’s winner of the Yeangder TPC keeps the lead on the Merit list, with just four events remain this season.

Added incentive this year is the fact that the Merit list champion will earn a card for the DP World Tour next year – a result of the Asian Tour’s multiyear partnership with the DP World Tour and the PGA TOUR.

Thailand’s Ratchanon ‘TK’ Chantananuwat is not in the running for that but caught the eye today with a top 10 finish in just his second event as a professional. He missed the cut last week on debut but the 19 year old carded a 70 today to end on three under.

His compatriot Rattanon Wannasrichan, the defending champion, closed with a 70 to finish two over in a tie for 31^st.

The Asian Tour takes a two-week break now before heading to two of its most iconic events: first the SJM Macao Open, followed the week after by the Link Hong Kong Open. The former will be played at Macau Golf & Country Club from 15-18 October, and the latter at the Hong Kong Golf Club from 22-25 October.

Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.