Wang Wei-hsiang makes perfect start to title defence at Mercuries Taiwan Masters
Defending champion Wang Wei-hsiang picked up today where he left off in last year’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters by shooting a six-under-par 66 to take the first-round lead.
A bogey-free scorecard at Taiwan Golf and Country Club, with four birdies on the front and two on the back, saw him top the leader board again in the US$1 million event and comfortably handle the fact that this year the event is back on the Asian Tour, unlike last season when, because of the global pandemic, it had to be played as a local event.
Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut, Donlaphatchai Niyomchon and Nitithorn Thippong, India’s Rashid Khan, and Hung Chien-yao from Chinese-Taipei shot 67s
Suradit Yongcharoenchai from Thailand, the winner here in 2019, and Chinese-Taipei star Chan Shih-chang fired 68s, along with four other players.
Remarkably, when Wang Wei-hsiang triumphed in 2021 it came a year after his brother Wang Wei-hsuan had been victorious – again when, due to COVID-19, the event was not on the Asian Tour schedule.
“Not thinking too much about my title defence,” said Wang Wei-hsiang, 26 and three years older than his brother, who carded a 74 today.
Sarit Suwannarut. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Not much pressure to be honest. I told myself to stay relax and not give myself too much pressure. The conditions this week are not quite similar to last year. The course has improved and the greens are faster. It felt like summer wind out there, different from past years. Felt like we were playing in Southeast Asia. I was actually aiming to shoot even par today.”
He has engaged the services of local professional Chen Yu-zhen to caddie for him this week, which based on today’s round, could well mean he is the man to beat this week.
“It’s his home course here so he knows the course very well. He helped me a lot with the greens this week. He gave me a lot of good advice,” he added.
Sarit chose laundry over practice yesterday, but that rest day paid dividends today when after dropping a shot on the first he birdied the second and third before more birdies followed on seven, 11, 15 and 16.
“I skipped a day of practice yesterday because I ran out of golf shirts after last week,” said the Thai golfer.
“I stayed in to do laundry and just did a workout in the hotel. Everyone was telling me the greens are tough and it’s not easy out there, so I didn’t expect much.
Chan Shih-chang (picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour)
“Started with a three-putt bogey today but was nice to bounce back strong. I hit my wedges really well today. It’s really hot out there. Quite easy without much wind. It’s good to start with an under-par round, sets me well for tomorrow. I took advantage of the par fives today. Hit it good off the tee, gave myself easy iron shots and then easy chips to make birdies.”
Donlaphatchai was the last Asian Tour player to win in Chinese-Taipei before the global pandemic stopped play as he claimed the Taifong Open on the Asian Development Tour at the end of 2019.
He said: “Feels good to be back in Chinese-Taipei, especially after I won the ADT Taifong Open here in 2019. Hopefully I can continue to play the same tomorrow.
“This is my first time here so I’m very happy to shoot a 67 today. I hit my approach shots very well, giving myself a lot of birdie chances which I managed to convert. Not so much wind today so it’s slightly easy.”
As expected Chan, a four-time Asian Tour winner including two in the last 10 months, is in the hunt, making five birdies and dropping one shot.
“I made a great birdie on 10 from seven yards; on this course, long putts are easier than short ones, I think. The short ones are hard to read the lines and speed. That’s the challenging part of the Tamsui course,” sad Chan, who is eager to win an Asian Tour event for the first time on home soil.
“So, I think I putted well overall today. Was hoping to make it three birdies in a row on the eighth but the ball stopped right outside the hole. The wind direction was pretty messy today. It’s hard to gauge. The greens are better now. Last time, it was hard to stop the ball. That’s why you see some low scoring this week.”
Thailand’s teenage amateur star Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat came in with a 70 to put himself in a good position to make the halfway cut, something which he didn’t do in last week’s Yeangder TPC, which was his first Asian Tour event since June.
Suradit Yongcharoenchai (Photo by Arep Kulal/Asian Tour/Asian Tour via Getty Images).
“I am happy with that, I am going to be honest, I have not been playing great, I didn’t play well last week,” said the 15 year old, who won the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup on the Asian Tour in April.
“I started off bogeying the first very easy holes today, like the way I played last week, which was not great so just happy I pulled myself back and shot four under for the rest of the round so I am definitely happy, but I think I need to get back into that proper mindset, the real TK mindset. I made four bogeys today, the real TK would be disgusted, so I need to get my confidence back.
“I am enjoying playing the course, it’s tough and reminds me when we played Tanah Merah at the start of the year when only three of us, including me, finished under par.”
Thailand’s Sarit Suwannarut and Donlaphatchai Niyomchon shot five-under-par 67s to take the clubhouse lead with half the field having completed their rounds mid-way through day one of the US$1million Mercuries Taiwan Masters.
Chinese-Taipei star Chan Shih-chang fired a 68, along with Benjamin Follet-Smith from Zimbabwe, and Australian Daniel Fox at Taiwan Golf and Country Club.
Sarit chose laundry over practice yesterday, but the rest day looked to pay dividends today when after dropping a shot on the first he birdied the second and third before more birdies followed on seven, 11, 15 and 16.
“I skipped a day of practice yesterday because I ran out of golf shirts after last week,” said the Thai golfer.
“I stayed in to do laundry and just did a workout in the hotel. Everyone was telling me the greens are tough and it’s not easy out there, so I didn’t expect much.
“Started with a three-putt bogey today but was nice to bounce back strong. I hit my wedges really well today. It’s really hot out there. Quite easy without much wind. It’s good to start with an under-par round, sets me well for tomorrow. I took advantage of the par fives today. Hit it good off the tee, gave myself easy iron shots and then easy chips to make birdies.”
Donlaphatchai Niyomchon.
Donlaphatchai was the last Asian Tour player to win in Chinese-Taipei before the global pandemic stopped play as he claimed the Taifong Open on the Asian Development Tour at the end of 2019.
He said: “Feels good to be back in Chinese-Taipei, especially after I won the ADT Taifong Open here in 2019. Hopefully I can continue to play the same tomorrow.
“This is my first time here so I’m very happy to shoot a 67 today. I hit my approach shots very well, giving myself a lot of birdie chances which I managed to convert. Not so much wind today so it’s slightly easy.”
As expected Chan, a four-time Asian Tour winner including two in the last 10 months, is in the hunt, making five birdies and dropping one shot.
“I made a great birdie on 10 from seven yards; on this course, long putts are easier than short ones, I think. The short ones are hard to read the lines and speed. That’s the challenging part of the Tamsui course,” sad Chan, who is eager to win an Asian Tour event for the first time on home soil.
“So, I think I putted well overall today. Was hoping to make it three birdies in a row on the eighth but the ball stopped right outside the hole. The wind direction was pretty messy today. It’s hard to gauge. The greens are better now. Last time, it was hard to stop the ball. That’s why you see some low scoring this week.”
Thailand’s teenage amateur star Ratchanon “TK” Chantananuwat came in with a 70 to put himself in a good position to make the halfway cut, something which he didn’t do in last week’s Yeangder TPC, which was his first Asian Tour event since June.
“I am happy with that, I am going to be honest, I have not been playing great, I didn’t play well last week,” said the 15 year old, who won the Trust Golf Asian Mixed Cup on the Asian Tour in April.
“I started off bogeying the first very easy holes today, like the way I played last week, which was not great so just happy I pulled myself back and shot four under for the rest of the round so I am definitely happy, but I think I need to get back into that proper mindset, the real TK mindset. I made four bogeys today, the real TK would be disgusted, so I need to get my confidence back.
“I am enjoying playing the course, it’s tough and reminds me when we played Tanah Merah at the start of the year when only three of us, including me, finished under par.”
The Indonesian Masters is set to become the nation’s most lucrative sporting event when it makes its highly anticipated return this year boasting an overall purse of US$1.5 million and is played at its traditional home Royale Jakarta Golf Club from December 1-4.
In addition, the popular tournament – which has not been held for two years because of the global pandemic – will become part of the Asian Tour’s ground-breaking new International Series.
It will also celebrate its 10th staging and as one of the year-end events it will help bring the curtain down on the 2022 season.
Said Jimmy Masrin, Founder of the Indonesian Masters and Chairman of the Asian Tour: “To be in position now to announce and confirm details for the 10th staging of the Indonesian Masters is an incredibly rewarding feeling, particularly as we are back this year with so many exciting developments.
“Becoming part of the International Series will see the Indonesian Masters join a million-dollar plus series of elite-level events with superior playing fields, the likes of which have not been seen before in Asia, and we are absolutely thrilled that the Indonesian Masters will be the country’s representative event in this exciting initiative.”
Jimmy Masrin, Chairman, Asian Tour/Founder Indonesian Masters.
First played in 2011, when England’s Lee Westwood won the first of his three Indonesian Masters titles, the event was last played in 2019 – the year that Jazz Janewattananond from Thailand lifted the trophy to help him secure the Asian Tour Order of Merit title.
“The Indonesian Masters has long been one of our premier events which has contributed to so many great moments in our history,” said Cho Minn Thant, Commissioner and CEO, Asian Tour.
“The Asian Tour is delighted it will return to our schedule this year and be part of the International Series – a visionary project playing an integral part of the Asian Tour as a whole.”
The International Series was launched earlier this year thanks to a new landmark partnership between the Asian Tour and LIV Golf to invigorate the game in Asia and the Middle East.
“LIV Golf remains committed to strengthening the golf ecosystem and growing the game globally,” said LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman.
“The Indonesian Masters is another showcase addition to the International Series which is creating player pathways for tremendous talent all around the world. LIV Golf is proud to support another marquee tournament for our great sport.”
The Series has so far visited Thailand, England, Singapore and Korea, and is due to make the trip to Morocco and Egypt in November.
As well as Westwood’s three wins (2011, 2012, 2015) and Jazz, the other distinguished winners are Bernd Wiesberger (2013), Anirban Lahiri (2014), Poom Saksansin (2016, 2018), Justin Rose (2017).
Six-time Asian Tour champion Lin Wen-tang competes in this week’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters – an event which he won in 2009 and finished runner-up in 2018 and 2005 – short on playing time on the Asian Tour, nursing an injury but all the better for being able to spend more time with the family. Story by Olle Nordberg, Contributing Editor – Asian Tour.
“Everybody knows that COVID-19 is very dangerous,” said Lin.
“And if you went outside Chinese-Taipei to another country you needed to stay at your house for about two weeks. Now maybe it’s just one week. So, my family told me, okay no problem, you don’t go to play outside Taiwan, just play local events. So, it was family time.”
The 48 year old played in the Yeangder TPC last week where he finished tied 39th, a solid performance considering it was his first tournament back for 10 months following a shoulder injury he got from working out in the gym.
He adds: “Yeah, my wife told me for the last three years you go to travel all the time, and now every day you stay at the house. So, my wife was happy, and my friends were happy. Because we always wanted to go together as a family, always wanted to go somewhere. Now I just go to play the Chinese-Taipei Tour sometimes, go to eat some good food and enjoy my life.”
The iconic Taiwan Golf and Country Club is well known for being one of the more demanding layouts on the Asian Tour, but the past champion knows how to tackle it.
Says Lin: “Everybody knows the wind is very tricky at the Tamsui golf course. I mean the fairways are small and the greens are sometimes a bit difficult. Last month they were good, but they aerified them since, so now maybe a little bit better. So, we hope they will be good this week.”
Lin Wen-tang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“On the difficult holes number 12 to 14, because the wind always changes, you need to hit a low ball and you need good chipping and putting. You also need to hit it straight. Make the cut first, and I don’t know, just do it.”
Turning 50 in June of 2024, Lin still has his sights set on the Senior circuit in the U.S., although the shoulder injury means it is not a certainty.
“I want to go, and my sponsors told me to go to the PGA Tour Champions in America, but I injured my shoulder going to the gym, and now it’s not so good. I don’t know, maybe I’ll try. Maybe after a year I will try to see how I feel. If no chance, I’ll just pay local events” he says.
Even if the plans to go play in the U.S. after turning 50 don’t materialize, he still has had a career full of moments to be very proud of, such as winning the 2008 DP World Tour co-sanctioned Hong Kong Open against future Major winners Rory McIlroy and Francesco Molinari in a playoff.
He did so by hitting a miracle shot out of the left trees to four feet on the first playoff hole to match McIlroy’s birdie and wedged it to a foot on the second playoff hole for the win.
Says Lin: “Yeah, I always remember the Hong Kong Open, because on the first playoff hole my lie in the trees is very bad. So, I needed to get lucky, I just remember that God helped me.”
He adds: “I remember McIlroy telling me it’s a very good shot, and maybe at that time he’s one of the best players in Europe. So was very happy because he is a good player, I have played with him three times. Now I have the video in my phone, sometimes I look at it and it just makes me happy, because it’s a long time ago. My family told me just last night, we all enjoy the 2008 Hong Kong Open. So, I mean it’s just very important in my life.”
The banner season of 2008 saw Lin finish the year 49th in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), which meant an invitation to the Masters the following year – a lifetime experience for the Chinese Taipei player.
Lin Wen-tang. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Everybody told me at Augusta the greens are very fast, but I just enjoyed it because for a long time no Chinese-Taipei player could go to America and play the Masters,” he said.
“I very much enjoyed the Masters week, because my friends and sponsors came with me too so we just enjoyed it. There were a lot of spectators, guests and sponsors, so I was a bit nervous on the first tee. I had to put the ball on the tee three times on the first day.”
Lin also had the honor to represent Chinese-Taipei in golf’s return to the Olympics in Rio in 2016, one of many great moments in an accomplished career since turning professional in 1996.
Said Lin: “Now I’m just happy because I’m 48 and I’ve played in the Olympics and the Masters, sometimes in Europe and America. I’m happy with my life, maybe I’m finished but I don’t know.”
Nostalgia will hang heavily in the air when Asian golfing legends Chen Tze-chung and Chen Tze-ming tee-off in this week’s Mercuries Taiwan Masters, writes Spencer Robinson, Contributing Editor – Asian Tour.
The pioneering brothers, better known as TC and TM, blazed a trail for Asian golf in the 1980s with their feats on fairways around the world.
Their appearance in the US$1 million Mercuries Taiwan Masters at the historic Taiwan Golf and Country Club, which starts Thursday, will provide an opportunity for Taiwanese fans to pay tribute to the duo who have been household names in their home country for more than five decades.
For TM it will be an especially poignant week as he turns 70 on Wednesday (September 28), making him one of the eldest players to line-up in an Asian Tour event.
Cho Minn Thant, Asian Tour Commissioner and CEO, said: “The Chen brothers are genuine legends of the professional game in Asia. Through their exploits, they helped to put Asia on the golfing map and they are rightly revered for paving a path that others have been able to follow.
“It’s a wonderful gesture by Mercuries to honour TM and TC with invitations to take part this week, offering a rare chance for our modern-day stars to brush shoulders with two men who rank among the finest golfers Asia has ever produced.”
Between them, TM and 64-year-old TC won no fewer than 37 professional titles in glittering careers.
Most notable among them was TC’s triumph in the Los Angeles Open in 1987, defeating American Ben Crenshaw in a sudden-death play-off. It was the first win by a Taiwanese player on the PGA Tour and only the second by an Asian, following Japan’s Isao Aoki at the Hawaii Open in 1983.
In 1985, the brothers both came close to winning Major titles. TC tied for second at the US Open while TM was third at the PGA Championship.
T.C. Chen on the green during the 1987 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club (Picture by Augusta National/Getty Images).
TC’s remarkable week at Oakland Hills Country Club in 1985 is still often discussed. He scored the first albatross in US Open history when he holed his three-wood second shot from 255 yards at the par-five second hole and took a two-stroke lead into the final round, only to be pipped by American Andy North.
Arguably it was one stroke of misfortune that cost Chen the chance to write his name into the record books as Asia’s first Major champion. At the fifth hole in the final round, Chen ran-up a quadruple-bogey eight which included a penalty shot incurred after a freak double hit on a chip shot, earning him the nickname ‘Two-Chip’ Chen.
During the early days of the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, the Chens were the star attractions.
TC, who in 1982 became the first Taiwanese player to earn his PGA Tour card, won the third edition of the championship in 1989.
For his part, TM’s stellar curriculum vitae includes seven Asian Golf Circuit titles including the national Open championships of Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. He won the Order of Merit in 1985.
The Chen brothers also excelled for Taiwan in team championships as amateurs and professionals.
The duo represented their country in the World Amateur Team Championship for the Eisenhower Trophy in 1976, while TC propelled Taiwan to the bronze medal in 1980 when he was second individually behind American Hal Sutton.
In 1984, TC was fifth individually in the World Cup of Golf, leading Taiwan to a joint second place finish behind Spain, and then teamed up with his brother in the Alfred Dunhill Cup at St Andrews in 1985 and 1994.
Fittingly, the third member of the 1985 team was ‘Mr Lu’ Liang-huan, Asia’s first global golfing star, having finished runner-up to Lee Trevino in the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in 1971.
It was that performance which provided the inspiration for TC who recalled: “When I was a little kid, after school I came to the golf course every day and watched. I didn’t know anything about golf, only read about superstars like Nicklaus and Trevino, who were in the papers every day.
“Mr Lu had finished second at the British Open, so at the time he was very famous. I was thinking someday I will be just like him. That was part of the reason I started to play golf.”
Mr Lu, winner of the inaugural Hong Kong Open in 1959 and resident professional at the Hong Kong Golf Club from 1962 to 1964, passed away in March this year, aged 85.
Travis Smyth’s quest to win his first Asian Tour title gathered momentum today when he took the third-round lead in the US$700,000 Yeangder TPC after shooting the best round of the day, a six-under-par 66 – in testing wet and windy conditions.
The Australian, so often a presence on the leader board since the Asian Tour restarted last year, is 13 under for the tournament, with defending champion Lee Chieh-po from Chinese-Taipei (69) and Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat (71), the overnight leader, one shot back.
Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren (69) and Settee Prakongvech from Thailand (70) are a stroke further off the pace, at Linkou International Golf and Country Club.
Chinese-Taipei’s latest junior sensation Hsieh Cheng-wei – who yesterday became the youngest male player to make the cut on one of the game’s main Tours, aged 14 – slipped back with a 78 but was still the talk of the tournament after his incredible achievement.
Smyth, 27, came close to winning the International Series England in June when he finished second, and knows exactly what he wants tomorrow.
“A win. Simple as that, I want to win, I want the winners’ category,” he said.
“I feel like I’m playing some pretty solid golf and I believe I can get it done.”
Lee Chieh-po. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
He stormed out of the blocks today and was four under after four, thanks to an eagle on the par-five opening hole and birdies on three and four; he dropped his only shot on seven, and then settled into top spot with birdies on 10, 12 and 18.
He added: “Very hot start, fighting the swirling wind all day, solid finish. The start was just unbelievable, four under through four. Yeah, you have some easy holes, but to actually do it when it’s windy and rainy and stuff, that just set the tone for the day. The wind was pretty tough all day, so I feel like if you had told me at the start of the day I would have shot three under, I would have been happy. But to shoot six that’s like a bonus.”
Lee won here last year, although the tournament was not on the Asian Tour schedule due to travel restrictions caused by the global pandemic.
The event’s return to the Tour seems to have affected him little as he attempts to become the first player to successfully defend the prestigious tournament – which is the first event to be held in Chinese-Taipei in three years.
He also got off to a fast start with birdies on the first three holes before three more birdies were off set by three bogeys. The inclement weather was also a constant challenge for him.
Said Lee: “It wasn’t easy out there with the rain. It was hard to gauge the wind direction out there. The wind is the strongest compared to the last two rounds, but I think it’s the best I have played so far this week.
“Expecting the same weather conditions tomorrow so I will really have to focus on getting the wind direction right. That will be the key. Not thinking too much about winning or defending my title. I had more thoughts on that at the start of the week but now, I’m just thinking about how to cope with the challenges out there.”
After a birdie on the first followed by eight pars, Chapchai switched from consistency to inconsistency on the back side making three birdies, three bogies and just two pars.
Chapchai Nirat (centre). Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Luckily today it’s not raining very hard so I still can manage the rain,” said the Thai golfer.
“But the big problem is the wind, the wind here is very gusty and it’s very difficult to know which direction it’s going from the tee to the green. So, you have to try to find where the wind blows, it may be different in different areas.”
Chapchai is on the comeback trail having refocused and practiced hard for the past five months. He is bidding to win for the first time in eight years; the last of his four Asian Tour victories came in the 2014 Worldwide Holdings Selangor Masters.
Added the 39 year old: “Going into tomorrow, I’m very happy with my game right now, and very happy with the success that I have been practicing for. I will try to just play the game I’ve been working on. Up until now I’m very happy with the outcome that’s come through. Definitely, within this year a championship will come to me, Chapchai is coming!”
Four-time Asian Tour winner Chapchai Nirat proudly announced “my game is back” after firing one of his best tournament rounds for a considerable period, an eight-under-par 64, to take a two-shot lead halfway through the Yeangder TPC today, at Linkou International Golf and Country Club, in Taipei.
The former Golden Boy of Thai golf has been notable by absence for many seasons – the last of his victories on the Asian Tour came in 2014 – but glimpses of his old self were on display today when he made nine birdies before dropping his only shot on the penultimate hole.
Defending champion Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po (68), Indian Ajeetesh Sandhu (68), the winner here in 2017, Settee Prakongvech from Thailand (66), and Berry Henson from the United States (67) sit in second place.
But it was Chinese-Taipei teenage amateur Hsieh Cheng-wei who grabbed much of the attention after adding a 74 to his opening 69 to reach one under and become the youngest male player to make the cut on one of the game’s main Tours.
At 14 years and 33 days old he beat the previous record set by China’s Guan Tian-lang, set at the 2013 Masters, when he was 14 years and 169 days.
Chapchai Nirat. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond had held the Asian Tour record having made it through to the weekend at the Asian Tour International in 2010, when he was 14 years and 71 days.
Said 39-year-old Chapchai: “I have been working with my coach for the last five months. I was teaching my juniors for a while but then I came back and worked hard for five months or six months, and on my fitness too.
“Today my putting was really good, but my tee shots were a bit left and right in today’s strong wind. The greens are also better this year. Yes, my game is back!”
In his heyday Chapchai shot 32 under par over 72 holes to claim the 2009 SAIL Open in India – setting a new Asian Tour record for the best 72-hole score – and he is looking to get back on track shooting low scores regularly again.
“I’m starting to have some confidence back from the past three events, I’m starting to play a bit better,” he said.
“Now I can see shooting minus seven or minus eight in a day, so I feel a lot more confident with my new game with this coach now. For the next year I’m planning to be in top 10 again in a lot of tournaments, and I’m planning to come back and win again.”
Hsieh Cheng-wei. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
While Hsieh has some way to go before reaching that level, he made a phenomenal start to his career today by setting a new world mark in the men’s game.
A birdie on the opening hole was the perfect start to his ambitious plan to play all four rounds but he kept people guessing with bogeys on eight and then finished nervously with dropped shots on 16 and 17. Having played in the morning session he had a long wait to see if one under would be good enough, which to the delight of everyone it was as the cut was made at even par.
“My calculations weren’t accurate today,” said Hsieh, who started playing golf at the age of four and has the benefit of Linkou being his home course.
“I didn’t putt well. Didn’t hit it good off the tee especially on the back nine. It’s not that tough out there. I just didn’t play my best game. I got nervous towards the end because I wasn’t playing well. I didn’t have much expectation though. I just try to play my best.
“I started preparing for this tournament after I found out I could play when I won the Yeangder amateur event in June. I have been practising here a lot.”
His compatriot Lee won last year when the event was played just as an event on the local tour due to travel restrictions caused by the global pandemic. A close friend of Chan Shih-chang, who shot 71 and is four off the lead, and godfather to Chan’s son, he feels he knows what it will take to win at the weekend.
He said: “I played better on the front nine because there wasn’t too much wind. But then it came on my back nine. It comes and goes. Wasn’t easy to determine the wind direction out there so distance control was the key challenge. I played decent, stuck to my game plan but didn’t hit it close, hence wasn’t able to make more birdies.
Lee Chieh-po. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“The greens were rolling better in the morning, compared to yesterday afternoon so that helped. I know no one has successfully defended their title at the Yeangder TPC. I am hoping to be the first but know I need to put together two more solid rounds as that was how I won last year.”
Settee Prakongvech from Thailand and Chinese-Taipei’s Lee Chieh-po, the defending champion, fired rounds of six-under-par 66 and 68 respectively to take the clubhouse lead at the mid-way point in round two of the US$700,000 Yeangder TPC at Linkou International Golf and Country Club today.
They moved to nine under par, two ahead of Thailand’s Rattanon Wannasrichan (69), Travis Smyth from Australia (69) and Chinese-Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang (71).
Settee has been playing the golf of his life this year, claiming the Blue Canyon Open on the Asian Development Tour and winning twice on the All Thailand Golf Tour, and has carried that form through to this week.
“Good to get off to a good start,” he said, who played a pure round of six birdies and no dropped shots.
“I was disappointed with the way I finished yesterday but I’m happy I redeemed myself today. Nothing really stood out. I played well from tee to green, was good off the tee today and putted well.
Lee Chieh-po. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“Got lucky on 10th, I chipped it too hard but lucky it hit the flag stick and the ball stopped close at the hole. Made another birdie there. It’s much calmer out there, not much wind compared to yesterday afternoon. I’ve been feeling confident with my game. I’m hitting the ball further than I used to and my putting is better as well.
Lee won last year when the tournament was played just as an event on the local tour due to travel restrictions caused by the global pandemic. A close friend of Chan, and godfather to Chan’s son, he feels he knows what it will take to win at the weekend.
He said: “I played better on the front nine because there wasn’t too much wind. But then it came on my back nine. It comes and goes. Wasn’t easy to determine the wind direction out there so distance control was the key challenge. I played decent, stuck to my game plan but didn’t hit it close, hence wasn’t able to make more birdies.
“The greens were rolling better in the morning, compared to yesterday afternoon so that helped. I know no one has successfully defended their title at the Yeangder TPC. I am hoping to be the first but know I need to put together two more solid rounds as that was how I won last year.”
Chinese-Taipei teenager Hsieh Cheng-wei added a 74 to his first day 69 and is one under. The 14 year old has an anxious wait to see if he makes the cut and become the youngest player ever to make it through to the weekend on the Asian Tour.
Ajeetesh Sandhu is probably more excited than most players that the Asian Tour is back in Chinese-Taipei following an absence of three years, because of the global pandemic.
That is because in 2017 he won the Yeangder TPC, which tees-off tomorrow at Linkou International Golf and Country Club, and in 2019 he finished joint second in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters, an event which begins next week; so, the Indian is something of a Taipei specialist.
“I think it is just the layouts,” said Sandhu.
“It’s both of the courses, off the tee, and the small greens. It’s usually quite windy, so you kind of have to control the ball a little bit better. I also think it’s tough to putt for everyone. So, you know, it kind of places a premium on the ball striking a little bit more.”
He won the Yeangder TPC with a winning score of 12 under, by a shot from American Johannes Veerman, while he lost the Mercuries event by the same margin.
He adds: “The greens in Taiwan tend to be very tricky. Yeah, I think that’s what it is. I don’t think a lot of people are making putts, so I think it kind of places a little bit of a premium on where you’re headed, and how many greens you can hit and how consistent you can be.
Ateejesh Sandhu. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
“It feels really good to come back. I think every time you come back to a course you have won on, like the memories just kind of keep flooding back and the shots that you hit. I played 18 yesterday, I was just kind of reminiscing the final round. So, it’s very nice.”
Sandhu is also hungry for another victory as his success in this week’s event five years ago, remains his sole victory on Tour although he has finished second on five occasions, including at The DGC Open presented by Mastercard on home soil in March, where he lost in a play-off against Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong.
He adds: “[Game] is pretty good actually, I’ve had a very consistent year. I had one chance to win at Delhi Golf Club [at The DGC Open] and I should have done that. I haven’t really kind of contended beyond that, but it’s been very consistent. I think it’s just a matter of time when the putts fall in and you know, you hit it good a certain week and the putts fall in, and that’s what it is.
“Definitely, I think a win is definitely overdue. I’ve had a lot of second place finishes since then. So, I think it’s time to get over the line.”
In that The DGC Open, the Indian looked set for a memorable victory after making birdie on 13 and 14 and was two ahead with two to go but to the shock of the strong local support he pushed his tee shot right on the par-three 17th, lost his ball, and ended up making a double bogey which allowed Nitithorn to draw level, before the Thai golfer prevailed on the first play off hole.
Thailand’s Nitithorn Thippong, one of the players of the year so far on the Asian Tour, will attempt to join an elite group of golfers who have won three Asian Tour titles in a single season this week when he competes in the US$700,000 Yeangder TPC, at Linkou International Golf and Country Club, in Taipei.
Having banked The DGC Open presented Mastercard in New Delhi in March for a much-celebrated first victory on Tour and the International Series Singapore in August the 25 year old has been a revelation and his growing fan base is excited to see what will happen next.
His breakthrough season has also seen him move into third place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, and fourth on the International Series Order of Merit, and with a wealth of tournaments remaining there is no doubt that finishing 2022 number one is a real possibility.
However, any realisation of that is being tempered by a cautious approach.
Said the Thai: “I think for me, I’m thinking about catching up on the Order of Merit, it’s in my plans too, but I don’t want to think about it that much. I think it motivates me a lot, but I don’t want to think about it that much during the tournament rounds, because I think if I think about that a lot, it’s gonna ruin my game if you know what I mean?
“So, this week, I just try to focus on my game as much as I can. I never thought about it until I’m in this position right now.”
Only seven players have won three titles in a single season since the Asian Tour was launched in 2004, and many of them are household names: Miguel Angel Jimenez (2004), Tetsuji Hiratsuka (2010), Lee Westwood (2011), Thaworn Wiratchant (2012), Scott Hend (2013), Shiv Kapur (2017), and John Catlin (2018).
Nitithorn Thippong. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
And just two players have triumphed four times: Thailand’s Thaworn (2005) and his countryman Jazz Janewattananond (2019).
American Sihwan Kim is the only other player to have enjoyed victory twice this year, having won the International Series Thailand, and Trust Golf Asian Mixed Stableford Challenge, also in Thailand.
This week is a landmark moment for the Asian Tour as it is returning to Chinese-Taipei for the first time in three years following the global pandemic.
Competitors from overseas had to quarantine for three days upon arrival, while this week’s event will adhere to bubble protocols with players required to stay within the limits of the hotel and golf club.
“Three days Quarantine is okay,” said Nitithorn.
“Did nothing, just watching Netflix and play games and practice a little bit. But I don’t know, right now it’s still like a quarantine because we cannot go out anywhere right, just golf course and hotel. I saw the 7-Eleven in front of the hotel, it’s like you can go, but you cannot go you know what I mean? It’s boring a little bit but it’s okay. Just come out, play golf and then go back.”
Nitithorn, nicknamed ‘Fever’, first rose to prominence in 2018, when he claimed the PGM Penang Championship on the Asian Development Tour – where he has mainly played since turning professional in 2015, until a never to be forgotten 2022.
His compatriot Tirawat Kaewsiribandit is also competing this week. He narrowly missed out on a surprise victory in the Shinhan Donghae Open in Japan two weeks ago: he led at the halfway mark and after round three but despite recording an Albatross on the third hole during the final round he eventually finished in a tie for second place.
“I think the week in Japan is passed already, now I’m focused on this tournament to improve my ranking this year,” said Tirawat.
“Now my ranking is better and I’m more relaxed and more confident because I played well in Japan.
“Before coming here, I just relaxed and go to physio, because from Japan to Thailand it’s a long fight. I practised with my coach a little bit to check up on my swing again.”
Tirawat Kaewsiribandit. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.
Both Nitithorn and Tirawat will attempt to emulate Prom Meesawat and Thaworn by joining them as the only players from The Kingdom to win the Yeangder TPC.
Prom, who is also competing this week, lifted the trophy in 2014, while Thaworn was victorious in 2010 and 2013 – the two wins contributing to his record haul of 18 Asian Tour titles.
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