Taipei: The Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) has been given a shot in the arm following a significant increase in its total prize fund to US$500,000 this year, organisers announced on Tuesday.
The Yeangder TPC was launched successfully by the Yeangder Group in 2010 when Thai star Thaworn Wiratchant won the Asian Tour tournament which carried a prize purse of US$300,000 while local hero Lu Wei-chih claimed victory in the second edition last season.
The Yeangder TPC will be played for the third straight year at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club from September 13-16, 2012.
Emmet Hsu, Chairman of the Yeangder Group, said: “On behalf of Yeangder Group, we are delighted to extend our partnership with the Asian Tour which continues to lead the development of professional golf at the highest level in Asia.
“The first two editions of the Yeangder TPC were highly successful and we believe the timing was right for us to increase the prize money by another US$200,000 to make it stand at US$500,000.
“We believe our tournament will continue to showcase Chinese Taipei golf to the world through the Asian Tour’s media platform and we hope to turn the Yeangder TPC in one of the best golf championships in Chinese Taipei.”
The Yeangder TPC is one of two Asian Tour tournament staged in the Chinese Taipei, the other being the Mercuries Taiwan Masters.
The secondary Asian Development Tour (ADT), a circuit for rising stars, has also successfully held events in Chinese Taipei. Last year, Chiang Chen-chih and Kao Shang-hung finished in the top-three of the ADT Order of Merit to earn Asian Tour cards while Hsu Chia-jen was successful in the previous season.
Asian Tour Executive Chairman Kyi Hla Han lauded Yeangder Group’s decision to raise the tournament’s prize money.
“With great sponsors such as the Yeangder Group, professional golf in Asia will continue to grow and hosts exciting tournaments such as the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship. On behalf of our talented players, we fully appreciate the wonderful contribution from Yeangder Group,” said Han.
He added that through the staging of international-class events in Taipei, Chinese Taipei players will continue to have the opportunity to leave their mark on the ultra-competitive Asian Tour.
“Through the years, we have celebrated great champions from Chinese Taipei including the likes of Lin Keng-chi, Wang Ter-chang and Lu Wen-teh. In recent years, Lin Wen-tang and Lu Wei-chih have enjoyed tremendous success on the Asian Tour and we believe more players will emerge from Chinese Taipei through events like the Yeangder TPC,” said Han.
