Chinese-Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao claimed the Mercuries Taiwan Masters today after a pulsating finish that saw him finally win his first Asian Tour title after a two decades long wait.
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He drained a brilliant 20-foot putt for birdie on the final hole to beat Australia’s Wade Ormsby by a shot, after having been cruising to victory before costly bogeys on 16 and 17.
Hung fired a one-under-par 71 to finish on eight-under-par here at Taiwan Golf & Country Club, while Ormsby did his best to spoil his party by shooting a 67 – the joint lowest round of the day.
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Korea’s Wang Jeunghun (71), Jazz Janewattananond (71) and Suteepat Prateeptienchai (72) from Thailand, and Malaysian Gavin Green (73), the champion here in 2017, tied for third, three behind Hung.
“I’m very excited and very, very happy. I think my whole body is still shaking,” said Hung, whose wife Nikki was caddying for him.
“You know, I’m very happy and I’m thankful for all the people to come out here to support me. I know a lot of people were coming out here to watch me play, and I have to apologise to the spectators because I made people nervous because of my bogeys on 16 and 17. But on the last putt I made it, and I’m very happy with the final result. I’m very happy, I can’t say nothing more about it.”
He had started the day with a one-shot lead and, playing in the final group, made the ideal start with a birdie on the first and by the turn led by two from Ormsby.
Ormsby, playing five groups ahead, did not take the pressure off on the second nine and closed the gap to one when made birdie on 13 while Hung dropped a shot on 10.
The experienced Australian, chasing his sixth victory on the Asian Tour, parred his way home meaning the tournament was Hung’s to lose.
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Hung appeared in complete control when he birdied the 14th to go two ahead but he missed a 10 footer on 16 and saw a six footer on the penultimate hole slide by.
A sudden-death play-off looked a strong possibility before Hung’s stunning finish saw him celebrate a putt like never before.
“It was actually 20 feet, uphill putt, I thought I had the line. I know it’s not gonna do much, so I’m just gonna go straight at it, and I just need to have good speed. I hit a good putt and then finally the ball went in, so I’m very, very happy. And I think my wife was really happy, she was crying, so thanks to her too.”
The win is perfect preparation for the 34-year-old ahead of next week’s Asian Games in Japan.
The victory also comes 21 years after he played in his first ever event on the Asian Tour: remarkably the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in 2005, when he was still an amateur.
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Having finished third in last week’s Yeangder TPC and having won the Ambassador ADT Open in July, for his third title on the Asian Development Tour, the signs were there that a first win on the Asian Tour was coming.
Since becoming a member of the Asian Tour in 2012, he has finished second once – in last year’s Taiwan Glass Taifong Open – third four times, and fourth on four occasions.
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He is now in sixth place on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, having earned a lucrative cheque for US$240,000.
