Overview

The Mercuries Taiwan Masters enjoys the distinction of being Chinese-Taipei’s longest-running professional golf tournament run by a single company.

It is a rare achievement in today’s fast-paced world of professional golf, which re-enforces the status of the tournament.

Founded in 1987 by Mercuries Life Insurance Chairman, Mr. George Wong, it became part of the Asian Tour in 2000 – when local star Keng-chi Lin triumphed.

Lu Wen-teh has won it more times than anyone else with four victories, in 1994, 1996, 2007, 2008, while a long list of Asian Tour stars have been successful here: Thaworn Wiratchant, Scott Hend, Gavin Green and Daniel Chopra.

This week marks its 40th edition and 24th as an Asian Tour event.

Mercuries have kindly increased the prizemoney to US$1.2million from US$1million.

Established in 1993, Mercuries Life Insurance is mainly a life insurance company. Headquartered in New Taipei City it provides personal insurance, annuities, travel and group insurance and other life insurance products.

George Wong, Chairman of the Mercuries Group.

Taiwan Golf & Country Club

Nicknamed “The Old Tamsui Course” it was established in 1919 and is the oldest golf club in Chinese-Taipei.

While not long by modern standards, it is a notoriously difficult course with treelined fairways on both sides and greens that are very tricky and difficult for first timers.

It is also regarded as the cradle of professional golf in Chinese-Taipei because the historic venue has produced many Taiwanese golf legends, including Min Nan Hsieh, Ji Xiong Guo, TC Chen, Wen teh Lu, Ter Chang Wang, Liang His Chen, and the Hsieh brothers Yu Shu and Chin Sheng.

Tournament Information

• Tournament: Mercuries Taiwan Masters
• Date: 24 – 27September 2026
• Venue: Taiwan Golf and Country Club, Tamsui, Chinese Taipei
• Par/Yards: 72 / 6,946yards
• Purse: US$1.2million
• Asian Tour leg: Eleventh
• Edition of tournament: 40th
• Previous winner: Rattanon Wannasrichan (THA)
• Previous winning score: 283 (-5)
• Total number of players: 125
• Format: Stroke play tournament over four rounds of 18 holes with a cut after 36 holes to leading 65 plus ties.

Taiwan Golf & Country Club.

Field Breakdown

• Order of Merit winners: Sihwan Kim (2022), Jazz Janewattananond (2019), Gavin Green (2017), Liang Wenchong (2007), Jeev Milkha Singh (2006 & 2008)
• Nationalities: 23
• Top contenders: Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA), Taichi Kho (HKG), Travis Smyth (AUS), Chien-yao Hung (TPE), Wei-hsuan Wang (TPE), Jazz Janewattananond (THA)
• Highest ranked player on OWGR: Travis Smyth (AUS) #180
• Highest ranked player on the Order of Merit: Pavit Tangkamolprasert (THA) #1
• of amateurs in the field: 5
• of Chinese Taipei players in the field: 44

Tournament Notes

• Last week’s winner Pavit Tangkamolprasert from Thailand is having an outstanding season. In addition to the victory at the Yeangder TPC last week he also has a runner-up at the season opening Philippine Golf Championship and a T2 at the International Series Japan soon after. After these fine performances he now tops the Asian Tour Order of Merit table for the first time in his career. Outside of the Asian Tour he has posted a runner-up and a T2 on the All Thailand Tour in 2026.
• The defending champion Rattanon Wannasrichan just had his best result of the season last week at the Yeangder TPC, posting a score of -18 for a T8. The two-time Asian Tour winner will be looking to use the good memories of his victory here last year to produce another good finish, and to bring his season back to the level he is accustomed to.
• Travis Smyth from Australia won the International Series Japan in early April, and before that had a third-place finish at the Philippine Golf Championship and a solo-fifth at the New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort. On the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia he early in the year won the ISPS HANDA Japan-Australasia Championship to wrap up the 2025/26 Order of Merit crown on that tour after , also helped by two other top-fives. Winning the Order of Merit title on his home tour has secured Smyth status on the DP World Tour for 2027.
• Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho won the the International Series Morocco, in dramatic fashion over Bubba Watson just before the mid-year break. The win came the week following a T2 in the BMW Japan Golf Tour Championship Mori Building Cup on the Japan Tour after coming up short in a three-way playoff. Kho made a charge on Saturday last week, posting a 64 to sit in T3 after three rounds, but fell back after a 71 on Sunday on a low scoring day. Prior to this year’s win in Morocco Kho had one career victory on the Asian Tour, the 2023 World City Championship presented by Hong Kong Golf Club.
• Hung Chien-yao from the host nation came within two strokes of a playoff last week in Linkou. Having won three times on the Asian Development Tour before, including once in 2026 at the Ambassador ADT Open, his solo-third finish last week equals his best performance on the Asian Tour.
• Fellow local star Wang Wei-hsuan stormed home with an un-official course record equalling 62 in the final round at Linkou to finish T4, his best result on the Asian Tour in 2026. He had his best Asian Tour season in 2025 when he finished ninth on the Order of Merit following third-place finish in this tournament, runner-up at the SJM Macao Open after a playoff loss, and T2 at the Yeangder TPC. He won the local circuit Order of Merit last year and has two wins and three T2’s there so far this season. Two of the T2s were also part of the Asian Development Tour.
• The 2019 Order of Merit champion Jazz Janewattananond from Thailand is working his way closer towards an eighth Asian Tour win, which would put him T6 on the win-table with players like Arjun Atwal and Jyoti Randhawa from India and England’s Lee Westwood. After a T4 at the Yeangder TPC after four rounds in the 60s last week, two T3s at International Series Morocco and Singapore Open presented by The Business Times, another win should not be far away.

Main picture: defending champion Rattanon Wannasrichan.

Pictures by Graham Uden/Asian Tour.