Suradit Yongcharoenchai (Tha) Fourth round 70, Total 278 (-10)

I played without any pressure today. I was very sharp with my short game and I guess that helped. But I’m proud with how I played today because it’s not easy especially against a quality field. I did not start off well as I double bogeyed the fourth hole but luckily I managed to make three birdies after that on my front nine. I birdied 13 but bogeyed the next hole. At that point, I was not really looking at the leaderboard but I was just telling myself to play my own game and whatever happens will happen. Miguel had a good chance to win but unfortunately, he bogeyed his last two holes. I’m an Asian Tour winner now and it feels really good to know that. I’ve been working hard all these years and I’m glad I’ve been finally rewarded with this win today. I know today’s victory will lead to more opportunities and better things to come for me.

Miguel Tabuena (Phi) Fourth round 72 (Even) Total 279 (-9)

I gave a good fight today but I really struggled with the greens. It was a bit too slow but that’s not an excuse. I played solid and managed to hole some putts whenever I had the chance. But it’s a good confidence-booster week which you make me an even better player in my next event.

Ajeetesh Sandhu (Ind) Fourth round 72 (Even) Total 279 (-9)

It was a tough day so it was really nice to end it as well as the week with that birdie on 18. I left a few shots out there and that really cost me the tournament. I made two wrong decisions on 16 and that led to a double bogey and you cannot afford to do that especially when you’re trying to close out the tournament. But I’m happy with how I played and where my game is heading and I can only look forward to the rest of season.

Adilson Da Silva (Bra) Fourth round 68 (-4), Total 279 (-9)

I sort of was in two minds today. I was really quite focused. I really wanted to go low today because I knew that was what I had to do. And yeah, I had a number in my mind and was just trying to achieve that and forget the rest and you know just concentrate what I was doing. I was a little bit cheeky with my number in my head. But I yeah, I was happy with myself, only made one bogey on 14. I was basically solid, I hit the ball well, I made some nice putts and missed a couple. But yeah, overall, I was happy with myself. It has been an absolutely great week. I really love coming to Taiwan, you know, people here are just amazing. George is such an amazing person man, he takes his time to come and watch us play and he mixes with the guys and it’s just incredible to see that. You don’t see that just about anywhere else. So we were very lucky to have him on our side.

Mardan Mamat (Sgp) Fourth round 69 (-3), Total 284 (-4)

It has been a struggle the last couple of years but I’m still enjoying the game. I’m going to turn 52 at the end of this month but I still love to compete. I’ve been putting very well especially the last two days and if you can putt well, you can have a good score. Physically, I think not as fit as last time but mentally, I’m still very strong and I can manage myself well under pressure.

Scott Hend (Aus) Fourth round 71 (-1), Total 291 (+3)

I came here for a reason and that was to complete a full field event for my qualification for the WGC-HSBC Champions. This week has shown me what I need to work on for my game and hopefully, I can improve on that and bring back my game to Italy next week. I’m looking forward to playing in another WGC event in Shanghai at the end of the month. Sheshan is a great golf course and I look forward to playing well there. As for the Order of Merit, Jazz is playing great golf at the moment and I’m not. So, I’m just trying to work on getting better and we’ll see how it goes, come the end of the season.

Tamsui, Chinese Taipei, October 5: Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena and India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu will head into the final round of the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in pole position after posting a third round four-under-par 68 and 70 respectively on Saturday.

Both Tabuena and Sandhu had the opportunity to take the outright lead at the last hole, but they identically dropped a shot on the par-four 18 and had to settle for matching three-day total of nine-under-par 207.

Thailand’s Suradit Yongcharoenchai returned with a 68 while India’s Viraj Madappa signed for a 65 to share fourth place with Bangladeshi Siddikur Rahman, who posted a 68 at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club.

Tabuena started the day two shots back of Sandhu, who was the overnight leader. After making five straight pars, the Filipino started to make his move with birdies on holes six and eight.

He continued to charge ahead after the turn with another three birdies in his next five holes before dropping his only shot of the day on 18.

Sandhu meanwhile stumbled early with a bogey on the par-three second before steadying the ship with birdies on holes nine, 11, 13 and 15.

The Indian, who is searching for his second Asian Tour win this week, parred the 16^th and 17^th holes before another bogey on 18 denied him the outright lead.

Ends.

Did you know?

• Miguel Tabuena’s best result at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters came in 2016 when he finished second. He posted a final round 70 to finish one shot back of eventual champion Lu Wei-chih of Chinese Taipei then.
• Tabuena’s best result to date this season was his fifth-place finish at the Sarawak Championship in August.
• Tabuena won his first Asian Tour title on home soil in 2015. He became the first Filipino to win his National Open since 2008 at just 21-years-old.
• Ajeetesh Sandhu is a one-time winner on the Asian Tour. A week after claiming his first Asian Tour title in Chinese Taipei in 2017, Sandhu went on to win the Taiheiyo Club Challenge Tournament on the Japan Challenge Tour.
• The Indian notched three top-10 finishes in 2018 to finish in 28th position on the Order of Merit.
• Sandhu’s second-place finish at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open in Bangladesh is his best result so far this season.
• Viraj Madappa will be chasing for his second Asian Tour title this week. The 21-year-old claimed his breakthrough on home soil when he was still a rookie last August.
• Madappa holds the record of being the youngest Indian player, at the age of 20, to win on the Asian Tour. He finished his rookie season in 35th place on the 2018 Order of Merit.
• Madappa posted back-to-back top-25 finishes in Indonesia and Chinese Taipei before recording two top-20 finishes in India and Korea last month.
• Siddikur Rahman became the first player from Bangladesh to win on the Asian Tour when he emerged victorious at the Brunei Open in 2010.
• He also became the first sportsman from his country to qualify for the 2016 Olympics on merit and was accorded the honour of becoming Bangladesh’s flagbearer during the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.
• Siddikur has posted three top-15s this season so far with his best result coming on home soil at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open where he finished tied-12^th.

Tamsui, Chinese Taipei, October 3: Philippines’ Miguel Tabuena and Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung shared more than just a room together, returning with matching five-under-par 67s to be tied for the first round lead together with South Africa’s Keith Horne at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters on Thursday.

India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu signed for a 68 to trail the trio by a single shot in outright fourth place while Thailand’s Danthai Boonma is tied for fifth with Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei-lun and Lin Yung-lung.

Tabeuna, a two-time Asian Tour winner, enjoyed a bogey-free round while Fung almost matched his roommate’s flawless efforts until a wayward shot at his closing ninth hole saw him drop his only shot of the day which denied him the outright lead in the morning.

Tabuena has enjoyed a proud record at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club, finishing second in 2016 and is pleased to have rediscovered his form which has seen him pass his opening test with flying colours.

Fung also had a round to remember as he returned with his best showing by far at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters.

Horne, who finished tied-second at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in 2017, has yet to win on the Asian Tour but showed he is ready to contend at a venue which he knows he can excel.

Did you know?

• Miguel Tabuena’s best result at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters came in 2016 when he finished second. He posted a final round 70 to finish one shot back of eventual champion Lu Wei-chih of Chinese Taipei then.
• Tabuena’s best result to date this season was his fifth-place finish at the Sarawak Championship in August.
• Tabuena won his first Asian Tour title on home soil in 2015. He became the first Filipino to win his National Open since 2008 at just 21-years-old.
• Fung, who turned professional in 2010, is a proud graduate of the region’s secondary circuit, where he has recorded three victories.
• He was crowned the Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit champion in 2013.
• Fung represented Team Asia in all three editions of the EurAsia Cup and was hailed as Malaysia’s number one through his Order of Merit success on the PGM Tour in 2012, 2013 and 2016.
• Ajeetesh Sandhu is a one-time winner on the Asian Tour. A week after claiming his first Asian Tour title in Chinese Taipei in 2017, Sandhu went on to win the Taiheiyo Club Challenge Tournament on the Japan Challenge Tour.
• The Indian notched three top-10 finishes in 2018 to finish in 28th position on the Order of Merit.
• Keith Horne’s best result on the Asian Tour came at the 2017 Mercuries Taiwan Masters where he finished in a share of second place, two shots back of Malaysia’s Gavin Green then.
• Horne’s last professional victory was in 2017 when he won the Vodacom Origins on the Sunshine Tour.
• Sandhu’s second-place finish at the Bangabandhu Cup Golf Open in Bangladesh is his best result so far this season.

Tamsui, Chinese Taipei, October 1: Malaysia’s Danny Chia is hoping to pull off a miracle as he seeks a hat-trick of victories in Chinese Taipei when he returns for the Mercuries Taiwan Masters which starts on Thursday.

Despite having to grapple with injuries and limited playing opportunities on the Asian Tour, the 46-year-old is still clinging on to hope that he can find his lucky charm again at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club where he won his second Tour title in 2015.

Chia ended his 13-year title drought with a two-shot victory then. However, he has yet to conjure any winning formula again since that triumph four years ago.

Brazil’s Adilson Da Silva also returns to the scene of his historic breakthrough last year, ready for another shot at glory.

With a proud track record at the Mercuries Taiwan, the Brazilian believes the favourable playing conditions at the oldest golf course in Chinese Taipei will be advantageous to him.

Australia’s Scott Hend is also relishing the opportunity to contend again in the longest-running full-field event on the Asian Tour, having etched his name in the roll of honour in 2013.

The Australian won his 10^th Asian Tour title in Malaysia earlier this year and was atop the Order of Merit for 13 weeks. A win again at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters for the big-hitting Hend will allow him to close the gap between him and current leader, Jazz Janewattananond of Thailand.

Backed by the Mercuries Group, the Mercuries Taiwan Masters is last qualifying event for the lucrative CJ Cup and WGC-HSBC Champions in Korea and China respectively.

The Mercuries Taiwan Masters, which was inaugurated in 1987, has been held annually on the region’s premier Tour since 2004. The event offers an all-time high US$900,000 of prize money in 2019, US$50,000 increase from last year.

Did you know?

• Danny Chia ended his 13-year title drought on the Asian Tour when won the 2015 Mercuries Taiwan Masters by two shots in 2015.
• He has started the round with a one-shot deficit but fired three birdies in his opening five holes to take over the lead and remained in top spot before winning with a tap-in par save on the 18th hole.
• Chia’s maiden Asian Tour win also came in Chinese Taipei when he won the 2002 Taiwan Open. With that breakthrough, Chia also became the first Malaysian to win on the Asian Tour.
• He also represented his country at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
• Adilson Da Silva became the first Brazilian to win on the Asian Tour following his victory at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters last year.
• The Brazilian has a proud track record at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters. Before that victory, Da Silva has never finished outside top-three in his last three starts in the event. In his debut appearance in 2012, he also enjoyed a tied-ninth place finish.
• Da Silva enjoyed a career high in 2016 when he was given the honour of striking the first tee shot at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro when golf made a return into the programme after 112 years.
• Scott Hend won his 10^th Asian Tour title at the Maybank Championship in March.
• He is the first Australian to win the Asian Tour Order of Merit title in 2016
• All of Hend’s wins have come in Asia.
• Hend is the fourth player after Thailand’s Thaworn Wiratchant, Thongchai Jaidee and Prayad Marksaeng to obtain 10 wins or more on the Asian Tour.
• Hend held the number one spot on the Order of Merit for 13 weeks before being dislodged by Jazz Janewattananond after the Thai won the Kolon Korea Open in June