BALLANTINE'S TAIWAN CHAMPIONSHIP

Taipei: Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Chi-hsien capped a memorable week by firing a flawless five-under-par 67 to win his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) title at the Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship on Sunday.

Hsieh, who held the lead after the second round, was a figure of consistency as he put out an assured performance at the National Garden Golf Course to seal victory with a winning total of 16-under-par 272.

Despite Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Mong-nan’s best effort of 64, he could not pip compatriot Hsieh to the title and had to settle for second place following rounds of 72, 69 and 70.

Chinese Taipei’s Yeh Wei-tze signed off with a 69 to take third place on 277 while Canada’s Lindsay Renolds, England’s Grant Jackson and Chinese Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao shared fourth place on 278.
STRONG FINISH 

Hsieh, who held a two-shot advantage heading into the final round, parred the first six holes before reeling in his first birdie on the par-five seventh.

After turning in 35, Hsieh began his charge with successive birdies on holes 12 and 13 before signing off in style with another two birdies in his closing three holes.

“This is definitely a week to remember! I simply played my best golf and I knew that if I continued doing so, I would win,” said Hsieh, who pocketed the winner’s purse of US$19,250 at the US$110,000 ADT event, which is the richest on the Schedule.

“The first birdie on the seventh was a bit of a relief but once I made the turn and got another birdie on the 12^th, I was really feeling very confident. I knew it was my title to lose, and thankfully, I kept my focus and I just want to enjoy the winning feeling now,” added Hsieh.

The Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship was a showcase of the region’s aspiring professionals on the ADT, which recently received a massive boost when it was awarded Official World Golf Ranking status from 2013 onwards.

With golf returning to the Olympics in 2016, the ADT will become a platform for emerging players from across Asia to have the opportunity to play their way to Rio De Janeiro.
WORLD RANKING POINTS

From next season, all winners of ADT events will receive a minimum of six World Ranking points while the top-six players and ties will earn points based on a sliding scale.

Launched in 2010 with the aim of creating a career pathway for professional golfers in Asia, a record total of 12 events will be played this season with the top three finishers on the Order of Merit earning Asian Tour cards for 2013.

 

For more information on the ADT, please visit www.asiandevelopmenttour.com.

 

Leading final round scores

272      HSIEH Chi-hsien (TPE) 72-66-67-67

275      HSU Mong-nan  (TPE) 72-69-70-64

277      YEH Wei-Tze (TPE) 71-72-65-69

278      Lindsay RENOLDS (CAN)72-68-70-68, Grant JACKSON (ENG) 72-67-68-71, HUNG Chien-yao (TPE) 73-68-66-71