Sentosa, Singapore, September 9: For the first time in four years, Korea’s Yikuen Chang felt vindicated on the Asian Tour.

The Korean had slipped on the proverbial banana skin on numerous occasions, notably his runner-up finishes at the 2017 Yeangder Heritage tournament in Chinese Taipei, the 2018 GS Caltex Maekyung Open and the 2019 Bank BRI Indonesia Open last week.

But on a resplendent Sunday at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club, Chang finally did what he was not able to on the last three previous Sundays.

He won the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) by three shots which was significantly, a maiden breakthrough on the region’s premier Tour for him.

Fuelled by that all-important self-belief, Chang, who had said all week that he was ‘playing well’, showed he had the golfing talent to match up to his words when he became the first player from Korea to win the Yeangder TPC and also the second Korean after Taehee Lee, to win on Tour this season.

“This is my first Asian Tour win and it means a lot to me. I’ve been on this Tour for four years and I’ve had like three second place finishes already.

“I just couldn’t get it done, but it feels really nice to get it done now. I’m planning to take a one-week break in Taipei before heading back home. I’m looking forward to it,” said Chang.

With his maiden victory, Chang moved 11 spots up to 10^th place on the Order of Merit after taking home the winner’s prize purse of US$90,000.

Thai rookie Kosuke Hamamoto, who finished second at the Yeangder TPC, made one of the biggest moves by surging to 27^th place from the previous week’s 77^th position.

“To be honest, I was quite nervous going out today because I knew a really good finish could maybe make the rest of the year a lot easier.

“Because I really want to be in the top-60 for next year. I think I should be safe now, but you know the goal is to keep improving on the Order of Merit ranking and just keep going forward,” said Hamamoto, whose father is Japanese and mother is Thai.

Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, who did not play at the Yeangder TPC, continues to lead the money list while Australia’s Scott Hend is in second place followed by Japan’s Yosuke Asaji in third.

The Asian Tour heads to India for the inaugural Classic Golf and Country Club International Championship this week.

The inaugural US$300,000 event will take place at the Classic Golf and Country Club from September 12-15.

Ends.

Top-20 players on the Habitat for Humanity Standings

Pos       Player   Order of Merit (US$)

1            Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $761,613.71

2            Scott HEND (AUS) $528,160.94

3            Yosuke ASAJI (JPN) $285,181.86

4            Taehee LEE (KOR) $275,548.14

5            Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $253,680.96

6            Zach MURRAY (AUS) $209,670.05

7            Micah Lauren SHIN (USA) $187,218.98

8            Johannes VEERMAN (USA) $177,288.30

9            Scott VINCENT (ZIM) $167,490.11

10          Yikeun CHANG (KOR) $166,861.47

11          David LIPSKY (USA) $137,309.79

12          Sanghyun PARK (KOR) $135,062.83

13          Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $119,544.97

14          Janne KASKE (FIN) $112,785.67

15          Berry HENSON (USA) $106,792.21

16          Dongkyu JANG (KOR) $104,405.57

17          Sadom KAEWKANJANA (THA) $103,111.27

18          Richard T. LEE (CAN) $92,640.88

19          Miguel CARBALLO (ARG) $90,000.00

20          Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) $87,509.11

Linkou, Chinese Taipei, September 8: Korea’s Yikeun Chang shook off his bridesmaid’s tag when he closed with a flawless six-under-par 66 to seal a three-shot victory for his maiden Asian Tour title at the US$500,000 Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) on Sunday.

The 25-year-old Chang, a three-time runner-up on the Asian Tour, overcame a one-shot deficit as he rode a hot putter to return with a bogey-free round highlighted by six birdies at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club.

Chang would take home a winner’s prize purse of US$90,000 following his breakthrough and his winning total of 21-under-par 267 would also mark the record lowest 72-hole score in the tournament’s 10-year history.

Talented Thai rookie Kosuke Hamamoto continued his fine form to sign for a bogey-free 67 and record his best result yet on the Asian Tour with his second-place finish. The 20-year-old Hamamoto has impressively kept the bogeys off his card for the last 52 holes.

Local hotshot Chan Shih-chang was disappointed not to recapture the trophy on home soil after battling to a 70 to finish in third place on 271. The 33-year-old, however, stayed positive as he capped his best result this season after missing six cuts in eight starts prior to this week.

Overnight leader Lin Wen-tang settled a further shot back in fourth following a 72 but took pride in his commendable result, which marked his fourth top-five finish in 10 attempts at the Yeangder TPC.

Did you know?

• Yikeun Chang is the first Korean player to win the tournament, which has been held annually on the Asian Tour since 2010. He is also the second Korean, following Taehee Lee, to win on Tour this season.
• Chang tops the stats category for putts per greens in regulation this week with his average of 1.58. Also ranked inside tied-fifth for Average Putts per round (1.47) and Greens in regulation (77.78%).
• Prior to his breakthrough victory, Chang has enjoyed runner-up finishes at the 2017 Yeangder Heritage tournament in Chinese Taipei, the 2018 GS Caltex Maekyung Open and the 2019 Bank BRI Indonesia Open last week.
• Chang won twice on his domestic circuit in 2017, including his National Open, which earned him a coveted spot at The Open at Royal Birkdale, where he made his Major debut that year.
• He topped the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2016 in his second attempt. He missed the mark in his first attempt in 2014. Chang, however, did not manage to keep his card for 2017 as he finished 101st on the 2016 Order of Merit.
• The Korean regained his card at the 2017 Qualifying School after finishing tied-eighth. He ended the season in 48th place on the Merit rankings and kept his card for 2018.
• Kosuke Hamamoto, whose father is Japanese and mother is Thai, is playing in his first appearance at the Yeangder TPC this week.
• The 20-year-old Thai, who is playing in his first year as a professional golfer, has dropped only a single shot all week. He has stayed bogey-free for the last 52 holes. He’s also the player with the least number of bogeys made in four rounds of the tournament this week.
• Hamamoto started playing golf at the age of eight. He is a former Thai Amateur star, South East Asia (SEA) Games individual gold medalist and was part of the first Thai team to win the Nomura Cup in Malaysia in 2017.
• He was also part of Team Thailand that finished second in the Team event at the SEA Games in 2017.
• Hamamoto came through 2019 Qualifying School last December. Hamamoto, who started the season with a missed cut in Bangladesh, has since posted a tied-28th, tied-16th and tied-10th finish in Jakarta last week.
• He has also posted six top 10s and 13 top-20s on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT) in 2019.
• Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour and a six-time winner on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
• Chan enjoyed a breakout season on the ADT in 2014, when he became only the second player to win three titles in a single season on the secondary Tour. He earned playing rights on the Asian Tour for the remainder of that season after achieving the feat.
• Chan broke through on the Asian Tour at the 2016 King’s Cup in Thailand and went on to win his second title at the Diamond Cup in Japan two months later. He would end his season in a career-high fourth place on the 2016 Asian Tour Order of Merit.
• Chan claimed his six ADT title at the Taifong Open last year. He shares the record of having the most wins on the ADT with Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand.

Linkou, Chinese Taipei, September 8: Read what players have to say following the final round of the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship on Sunday.

Yikeun Chang (Kor) – Final round 66 (-6), Total 267 (-21)

I knew I had to start off good because the rain softened the course, so I knew I could take it low and I started really nice. I think the birdie on number four was huge because I made like a 20 footer there. From then on, I played really well.

My main goal on the back nine was to hit the fairways, hit the greens. I knew I was putting well so I knew if I hit it close, I’ll have a good chance. So my main goal was to hit the fairway, hit the green, you know at least make par, and I did that so it feels great.

The 16^th hole is hard because on that tee shot I knew I had to hit the fairway and I did that, and I hit a lot of good shots today. I putted well, I hit the ball well and I placed it in the right places. I could have made more putts on the back nine but overall, my putting was good.

The first hole is a really easy par five, I knew I had to take advantage of that par-five and I hit a really nice second shot, I think a seven-iron from 185-190 yards. It was an easy birdie, I think I had like a 20 footer for eagle. I left it short but I just told myself I had to take advantage of the par-fives.

This is my first Asian Tour win and it means a lot to me. I’ve been on this Tour for four years and I’ve had like three second place finishes already. I just couldn’t get it done, but it feels really nice to get it done now. I’m planning to take a one-week break in Taipei before heading back home. I’m looking forward to it.

Kosuke Hamamoto (Tha) – Final round 67 (-5), Total 270 (-18)

To be honest, I was quite nervous going out today because I knew a really good finish could maybe make the rest of the year a lot easier. Because I really want to be in the top-60 for next year. I think I should be safe now, but you know the goal is to keep improving on the Order of Merit ranking and just keep going forward.

I hung in there really well this week, I felt like I played my own game really well, just did my own process really well today. I’m happy. It’s my first time playing this tournament. I didn’t expect anything but I just knew I was in pretty good form coming here and I just wanted to keep it going.

I tried to stay in the present and focus on my process. On the front nine, I hit a couple of good shots and made a long putt on number seven which kind of made the back nine a bit easier. On the back nine, however, I think I ran out of gas a bit. It’s my fourth week in a row but I’m just happy I got it done.

Chan Shih-chang (Tpe) – Final round 70 (-2), Total 271 (-17)

I didn’t hit my irons well today. Putting was not great either. I am very disappointed. I wanted to hang on to my two-under on the front but didn’t manage to do that. I didn’t play to my expectations. I think it’s a failed performance.

I might have to play well in a couple more tournaments to keep my card on the Asian Tour this year. I will keep working hard. I will try and play well on the Japan Tour as well. There’s a lot more work to do.

Lin Wen-tang (Tpe) – Final round 72 (even-par), Total 272 (-16)

I knew I had to play well on the front nine. It’s important to get off to a good start when you are in the lead. But unfortunately, I got unlucky on the first, hit it into the bunker and made a bogey there. I didn’t read the greens as well as I did the last three rounds, missed a lot of short putts.

Putting was indeed a little disappointing but I did my best. It’s a pity not to have won, having come close so many times in this tournament. But to finish on 16-under total, I am very impressed with myself, especially when I’m not young anymore (laughs).

Richard T. Lee (Can) – Final round 65 (-7), Total 273 (-15)

I haven’t birdied the 18^th hole until today. So I am pretty happy to finish with a birdie there. To finish five-under on the back-nine is just amazing. Yikeun is making it look easier actually.

Overall, I think this week is a good week, except for yesterday where I shot even but that’s golf for you. I almost holed my third shot on the par-five last, hit the pin actually.

It’s a positive week. I made a lot of birdies out there. I can’t complain at all. I am going to take a week off and then prepare for the next tournament in Korea.

Casey O’Toole (USA) – Final round 67 (-5), Total 273 (-15)

It’s probably the best tournament I’ve had since this tournament three years ago, so it’s been awhile. I played good, played solid, drove the ball better this week and I was able to make some putts.

I mean, I felt like the past couple of months my game was coming around, I just needed something to play in. So it was nice to see that today, I just had a lot of good things this week so I’m really pleased with how I played this week, excited.

My short game really got away from me the last couple of years and I’ve been working hard on it. This week it really for once it saved me, it helped me, and that’s the name of the game. I’ve always been able to hit the ball, I’ve never hit it terrible, you know, I’ve always been able to keep it in front of me in play, but just my short game really the last couple of years got away from me.

But i’ve just been working hard, for some reason this week it really started coming around. It was nice, it feels good and it takes some pressure off everything.

Linkou, Chinese Taipei, September 7: Local hero Lin Wen-tang took flight with a birdie blitz before closing with a flawless seven-under-par 65 to grab the outright lead following the penultimate round of the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) on Saturday.

Lin, who started the day two shots off the lead, raised the local cheers when he opened with five straight birdies before closing with two more birdies to take his place atop the leaderboard.

His three-day total of 16-under-par 200 would mark the lowest 54-hole score recorded in the tournament which has been played annually at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club since it was inaugurated in 2010.

Overnight co-leader Yikeun Chang of Korea extended his advantage to three after sinking his eighth birdie of the day to go to six-under, but a costly double-bogey resulting from an unlucky break on the last saw him sign for an eventual 68.

The 25-year-old Chang, chasing for his breakthrough win on the Asian Tour, trails Lin by one shot in second place alongside local hotshot Chan Shih-chang, who also returned with a 68, at the US$500,000 event, which is celebrating its 10^th consecutive edition this week.

Promising rookie Kosuke Hamamoto of Thailand posted a flawless 68 to settle three shots off the pace in fourth while countryman Phachara Khongwatmai moved into fifth place on 204 after matching the lowest round of the day with Lin with his 65.

Did you know?

• Lin Wen-tang’s three-day total of 16-under-par 200 is the record lowest in the tournament, which has been held annually on the Asian Tour since 2010.
• The 45-year-old Lin has enjoyed three top-five finishes in the event in 2011, 2012 and 2016. He had uncharacteristically missed the halfway cuts in the last two editions. Lin has never missed a single edition since the tournament was inaugurated in 2010.
• Lin is one of Chinese Taipei’s most successful golfers. He holds a total of six victories on the Asian Tour, the most amongst the players from Chinese Taipei. Lin is also a two-time winner on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
• The 45-year-old Lin claimed two top-10s last year. He came in tied-second at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters and finished tied-ninth at the Queen’s Cup 2018 hosted by Jaidee Foundation in Thailand.
• Yikeun Chang tops the stats category for putts per greens in regulation so far this week with his average of 1.58. Also ranked inside top-five for Putts per round (1.48), Greens in regulation (79.63%), Fairways hit (76.19%) and Driving distance (305.8 yards).
• Chang stayed bogey-free for his first 40 holes before dropping his first shot of the week on the par-three fifth.
• Chang is chasing for his maiden win on the Asian Tour. He enjoyed runner-up finishes at the 2017 Yeangder Heritage tournament in Chinese Taipei, the 2018 GS Caltex Maekyung Open and the 2019 Bank BRI Indonesia Open last week.
• Chang’s result in Jakarta last week is his best result so far this season. He had carded a solid final round of eight-under-par 64 to finish second.
• Chang won twice on his domestic circuit in 2017, including his National Open, which earned him a coveted spot at The Open at Royal Birkdale, where he made his Major debut that year.
• Hetopped the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2016 in his second attempt. He missed the mark in his first attempt in 2014. Chang, however, did not manage to keep his card for 2017 as he finished 101st on the 2016 Order of Merit.
• The Korean regained his card at the 2017 Qualifying School after finishing tied-eighth. He ended the season in 48th place on the Merit rankings and kept his card for 2018.
• Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour and a six-time winner on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
• The 33-year-old Chan carded a flawless round of 64, highlighted by six opening birdies, in the second round to mark his personal best in the event where he had played annually since 2010. He came in tied-11th last year and his best result at the Yeangder TPC is a fourth-place finish in 2013.
• Chan enjoyed a breakout season on the ADT in 2014, when he became only the second player to win three titles in a single season on the secondary Tour. He earned playing rights on the Asian Tour for the remainder of that season after achieving the feat.
• Chan broke through on the Asian Tour at the 2016 King’s Cup in Thailand and went on to win his second title at the Diamond Cup in Japan two months later. He would end his season in a career-high fourth place on the 2016 Asian Tour Order of Merit.
• Chan claimed his six ADT title at the Taifong Open last year. He shares the record of having the most wins on the ADT with Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand.
• Kosuke Hamamoto, whose father is Japanese and mother is Thai, is making his first appearance in the Yeangder TPC.
• The 20-year-old Thai has dropped only a single shot all week. He has stayed bogey-free for the last 34 holes.
• Hamamoto started playing golf at the age of eight. He is a former Thai Amateur star, South East Asia (SEA) Games individual gold medalist and was part of the first Thai team to win the Nomura Cup in Malaysia in 2017.
• He was also part of Team Thailand that finished second in the Team event at the SEA Games in 2017.
• Hamamoto came through 2019 Qualifying School last December. Starting with a missed cut in Bangladesh, he has since posted a tied-28th, tied-16th and tied-10th in Jakarta last week.
• He has also posted six top 10s and 13 top-20s on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) and All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT) in 2019.

Linkou, Chinese Taipei, September 7: Read what players have to say following the penultimate round of the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship on Saturday.

Lin Wen-tang (Tpe) – Third round 65 (-7), Total 200 (-16)

This is my sponsor’s event so for sure, it comes with a lot of pressure. But overall, I have been playing good. From playing for like eight over hours on the first day till now, everything has been good for me so far.

I just think you need to pay more attention when you read the greens here. I read it well today and managed to get the feel starting from the first hole to make like five birdies in-a-row. I feel very motivated for sure.

After that, I made a lot of consecutive pars, some good chips and some good saves. Left a few birdie putts out there after putting short, especially heading into the back nine. I was actually concerned about the slopes, that’s why I keep hitting it short.

It was nice to finish with two birdies and a bogey-free round. I had a nice par save on the ninth hole. I hit it left and had to punch out from the rough. But I hit it too hard from there and injured my wrist. My wrist didn’t feel good after that so I did some stretching and it got better.

My son was following me and he gave some ice pack to put on my wrist. The pain went off after that. The course condition is better this year I think, as you can see from the scores. The greens got softer after the rain earlier this week. You can stop the ball better on the green.

Players feel safer to attack the greens out there. It’s been a long time since the halfway cut was set a one-under in this event I think. It was always over-par. I wouldn’t say easier to play this week but the standard of play on the Asian Tour has definitely improved over the years.

I will stick to my own tempo tomorrow. I don’t want to give myself any pressure. I will take it one shot at a time. The round started off a good note today. Hamamoto came up to me and said he’s very happy to play with me and he remembered the shot I made to win the Hong Kong Open back in 2008. I felt good that someone still knows me and remembers that shot (laughs).

Yikeun Chang (Kor) – Third round 68 (-4), Total 201 (-15)

It wasn’t a bad hole on the last actually. I hit two perfect shots. But I think I just had the unluckiest moment in my life. The first two shots were perfect but the second one went over like about 10 yards. I was literally right behind the tree. I had like nothing to hit from there.

But apart from that, it was a good round. I had a good start today. Actually, I didn’t really hit the ball as good as I did the last two days. But I putted really well the whole round. I’m going to the range after this to work on my iron shots.

My driver is pretty good too. My iron-play was solid too. I mean I just got really unlucky on the last but I’m only one shot back. I am just going to the range to work on a few things. Same mindset for tomorrow. I have been playing really well.

Last week, I shot eight-under on the last day to finish second. I am just going to try and fire the pins tomorrow, hit the fairways and greens, keep making birdies and see what happens. I have another day to go. I have been playing well. I have a couple of second-place finishes throughout my career on the Asian Tour so it would be nice to finally get a W tomorrow.

Chan Shih-chang (Tpe) – Third round 68 (-4), Total 201 (-15)

I am still having problems with my driver. I am still not hitting it good. I also three-putted on the eighth to make bogey. I didn’t feel confident with my game on the front nine. Yikeun putted well today and he hits it long. He just got unlucky on the last hole. But overall, he played well.

I have been going back to work on my game after every round this week. I haven’t had much rest actually. I’ll go back and practise again today. Tomorrow, I will try not to think too much about my driver and focus more on my short game and iron-play.

I played better on the back nine today but still missed a few birdie chances on the short par-fours like 14 and 16. I think it’s important to get off to a good start tomorrow. It’s an easy par-five on the first. Anyone who can start with a birdie there will have a more stable round and a good chance to win.

Kosuke Hamamoto (Tha) – Third round 68 (-4), Total 203 (-13)

I was hitting it really solid today and made a couple of good up and downs, all in all I’m pretty happy with my round today. I will just try to do my best, play my own game shot by shot and stay in my process. Just stick to that and whatever happens, happens.

It is actually a pretty good sign that my results are getting better week after week as that definitely gives me and my team a lot of confidence in what we’re working on. I think it’s just getting used to the environment and everything.

I turned pro at the end of 2018 so this is my first full season. I think everybody is just very good on Tour but I was lucky enough during the national teams I got some invites into some Asian tour events and local tour events, which gave me the experience in professional events. So when I came out here, I kind of knew what to expect.

Linkou, Chinese Taipei, September 6: Local hotshot Chan Shih-chang took advantage of an opening birdie burst to sign for a flawless eight-under-par 64 and grab a share of the halfway lead at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) on Friday.

The 33-year-old Chan fired six consecutive birdies from the 10^th hole before adding back-to-back birdies on fourth and fifth to sit atop the leaderboard alongside Korean duo Yikeun Chang and Doyeob Mun on matching totals of 11-under-par 133s.

Chang and Mun, who are roommates this week, carded identical 66s to match the efforts of Chan at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club. Chan played a total of 27 holes today as he had to complete the last nine holes of his opening round in the morning where he signed for a 69.

The leading trio holds a two-shot edge over American Casey O’Toole (67), Thai-Japanese Kosuke Hamamoto (69) and local stalwart Lin Wen-tang, who fired three birdies in his closing four holes for a 68 at the US$500,000 event, which is celebrating its 10th edition on the Asian Tour.

Play was abandoned for the day at 6.17pm local time due to fading light. A total of 30 players will resume their second rounds at 7.00am on Saturday with the penultimate round scheduled to start not earlier than 9.00am.

A total of 72 players had returned to complete their opening rounds on Friday morning after four hours of play was lost due to several weather suspensions on Thursday.

The halfway cut is projected to be at one-under-par 143 where the top 65 players and ties will progress to the next two rounds.

Did you know?

• Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour and a six-time winner on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
• His flawless round of 64 would mark his personal best in the event where he had played annually since 2010. He came in tied-11th last year and his best result at the Yeangder TPC is a fourth-place finish in 2013.
• Chan returned in the morning to complete the remaining nine holes of his opening round and signed for a 69.
• Chan’s opening six birdies in-a-row is also a first for the 33-year-old. His previous record was a birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie run.
• Chan enjoyed a breakout season on the ADT in 2014, when he became only the second player to win three titles in a single season on the secondary Tour. He earned playing rights on the Asian Tour for the remainder of that season after achieving the feat.
• Chan broke through on the Asian Tour at the 2016 King’s Cup in Thailand and went on to win his second title at the Diamond Cup in Japan two months later. He would end his season in a career-high fourth place on the 2016 Asian Tour Order of Merit.
• The 33-year-old Chan claimed his six ADT title at the Taifong Open last year. He shares the record of having the most wins on the ADT with Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand.
• Doyeob Mun recorded the first hole-in-one this week en route to his opening 67 on Thursday. He had aced the par-three eighth hole with an eight-iron from 169 yards. It was the third hole-in-one in his career and first during a tournament.
• The 27-year-old Korean enjoyed a tied-fifth place finish at the season-opening SMBC Singapore Open, which helped him secure one of the four spots on offer to The 148th Open where he made his Major debut in July.
• Mun had made an albatross, which is the first and only one on the Asian Tour so far this season, in the second round of the Singapore Open.
• Yikeun Chang has not dropped a single shot in 36 holes at the Yeangder TPC. He is chasing for his maiden win on the Asian Tour.
• Hetopped the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2016 in his second attempt. He missed the mark in his first attempt in 2014. Chang, however, did not manage to keep his card for 2017 as he finished 101st on the 2016 Order of Merit.
• The Korean regained his card at the 2017 Qualifying School after finishing tied-eighth. He ended the season in 48th place on the Merit rankings and kept his card for 2018.
• In 2017, Chang won his National Open for his first professional title after prevailing on the third play-off hole. That victory earned him a coveted spot at The Open at Royal Birkdale that year where he made his Major debut.
• Chang’s best result this season is a second-place finish at last week’s Bank BRI Indonesia Open, after carding a final round of eight-under-par 64.
• Kosuke Hamamoto started playing golf at the age of eight. He is a former Thai Amateur star, South East Asia (SEA) Games individual gold medalist and was part of the first Thai team to win the Nomura Cup in Malaysia in 2017.
• He was also part of Team Thailand that finished second in the Team event at the SEA Games in 2017.
• Hamamoto came through 2019 Qualifying School last December. He is making his fifth start on the Asian Tour this week and has enjoyed a top-10 finish in Jakarta last week.
• Hamamoto, whose father is Japanese and mother is Thai, is making his first appearance in the Yeangder TPC.

Linkou, Chinese Taipei, September 6: Read what players have to say following the second round of the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) on Friday.

Chan Shih-chang (Tpe) – Second round 64 (-8), Total 133 (-11)

I saw Wang Wei-hsuan had seven birdies yesterday and I thought that was really good. The greens here are very tricky. You need a lot of guessing. So I think it’s really impressive for this young man to shoot seven birdies in a row yesterday.

My driver hasn’t been good recently. I wasn’t even hitting it good in the first round. My ball keep going right so I wasn’t confident with my driver at all. But after finishing my first round, I quickly went to the range and adjusted my driver.

I was more confident with my driver in the second round. My chipping was good and I was hitting my irons well. I was able to hit it close on my first six holes today. All my birdie putts weren’t that far. I think they were all from two to three feet.

I have never started the round with six straight birdies today. I think I just broke my own record today. Before this, my record was birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie. It was a great way to start the round for sure.

I wasn’t thinking too much actually. I wasn’t trying to break any records and telling myself to try for how many birdies in-a-row. I just kept it going out there and focus on every shot. But 64 is my best round here at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club.

Doyeob Mun (Kor) – Second round 66 (-6), Total 133 (-11)

It was nice to finish with a birdie. I hit three-wood for my second shot and it landed about 20 yards from the edge of the green. I made a good chip there and birdied the hole. I hit the ball better than I did yesterday. My driver was good and I was able to hit more fairways.

I was able to hit more greens today too. That’s why I didn’t make any bogey. I missed a few birdie putts on the back nine but overall, it’s still alright. I didn’t know Chan finished 11-under. I just played my game.

I felt more confident after yesterday’s round. My game feels better than yesterday too. Nothing really stood out today. Everything was good. I had a good start to the season, making an albatross to make the cut at the Singapore Open and then I went on to finish well.

I think I just need to keep feeling good about my game and ride on the good vibes. That will boost my mental game I feel. Every time I made a bad putt, I will tell myself to forget about it. This is very important because if I keep thinking about it, I wouldn’t feel the confidence when I putt.

Yikeun Chang (Kor) – Second round 66 (-6), Total 133 (-11)

It’s the same as yesterday. I wasn’t expecting to putt well on these greens but I didn’t really miss out on short putts today. I putted pretty well the last two days. I have been hitting fairways and greens. Not really making any mistakes.

I haven’t made any bogeys in two rounds so far. I will just try and do the same thing for the next two rounds. Try to hit the fairways and the greens. You will miss some putts here because the greens are quite hard.

I figured something out with my putting from the last round in Jakarta last week so just riding on the good form coming here. I have been hitting the ball great. I have been putting well from last week too.

Most of the birdie putts were within six to seven feet. I think the rain made it easier this week. If you don’t hit the fairway, it can be very hard. The greens are pretty firm but the rain made them softer. You can attack the pins.

Same things tomorrow, I have been playing well so just aim at hitting greens and fairways and try not to make bogey. Looking forward to play with Doyeob (Mun) tomorrow. He’s my roommate this week. He’s my good friend and I know Chan Shih-chang very well too. It will be fun tomorrow.

Kosuke Hamamoto (Tha) – Second round 69 (-3), Total 135 (-9)

I came back to finish nine holes from round one this morning. I played really well on the front nine, which is my back nine of the round. I chipped in for an eagle on the fourth and made two other birdies to finish 66.

I played really solid. The goal I had for myself today is to stay as patient as possible out there and give myself as many birdie looks as I can and try to take advantage of them. I played a total of 27 holes today. Heading into round two, I was a little nervous actually.

But I guess my past learning experiences helped. I just told myself to stick to my game plan and treat every day the same, stick to my process and all. The game has been pretty solid recently. I had a good week in Jakarta last week.

I almost made a hole-in-one on the 17^th in my second round today. I missed the hole by like a foot. Playing 27 holes in a day is not easy for sure, I just tell myself to stick to the process, keep drinking water and eat some bananas along the way.

This is my first time playing here. I heard from the Thai players that the greens are tricky here and it can get really windy. It was tougher during the practice rounds with the winds I think. It hasn’t really picked up these two rounds.

You have to keep the ball low. I feel comfortable with that. My putting is good too. The green speed here is pretty similar to my home course back in Chiangmai. I will continue to do what I have been doing the first two days, stick to my processes and have fun out there.

It’s been a pretty solid season. I just have to keep knocking on the door, keep playing good golf and see what happens. My dad is Japanese and my mum is Thai. I live in Thailand but I go back to Japan every year. I can speak basic Japanese.

Casey O’Toole (USA) – Second round 67 (-5), Total 135 (-9)

It was a good round. I drove the ball really nice. It was nice to keep it going out there. I made some good saves earlier in the round, birdied all the par-fives and played solid everywhere else. Nothing spectacular but it was just solid and nice to see.

The conditions were perfect when we played yesterday actually. We didn’t really have to play in the rain at all so we were lucky. I played 29 holes today but I enjoyed it. It was nice to finish my round with some good momentum.

That was nice to be able to do that. Obviously, it was a long day but I was kind of prepared for this kind of weather here. In a good position now but it’s just halfway through the tournament, I just want to keep playing solid. I feel like I’m doing some good things and we’ll see.