Chan Shih-chang wins Faldo Series Taipei

The 21-year-old young gun Chan Shih-chang won the Faldo Series Asia (FSA) in Chinese Taipei with a 36-hole total of 149 at Sunrise Golf and Country Club.

Leader after the first day with a one-under-par 71 that included five birdies, Chan battled high winds in round two to card a 78, the second lowest score on the final day. His four-shot winning margin earned him the Boys’ under-21 gold medal, the championship trophy and a trip to China for the grand final of the FSA on December 12-14. During the event at Mission Hills in Shenzhen, Chan will not only compete against his peers from across Asia but also spend time with six-time Major winner Nick Faldo.

Chan Shih-chang and Hsieh Yu-ling, winners of the Faldo Series Asia in Taipei

Chan Shih-chang (left) and Hsieh Yu-ling, winners of the Faldo Series Asia in Taipei

Joining Chan at Mission Hills will be the reigning FSA girls’ champion, Hsieh Yu-ling who can look forward to defending her 2006 title having won the Girls’ under-16 gold medal at Sunrise. Four more players from the FSA Chinese Taipei championship also qualified for the grand final: Hung Chun-kang (Boys’ under-18 winner); Lin Tzu-chi (Girls’ under-18 winner and leading girl overall); 2005 winner of the Faldo Series International Trophy, Tsai Pei-ying (Girls’ under-18 runner-up); and Kao Teng (Boys’ under-16 winner).

Commented Chan: “My putting let me down in round two although it was not helped by the strong wind. I’m very happy with my victory and now I’m ready to go and win at Mission Hills! I’m also excited about meeting Nick Faldo and, in particular, asking him about handling pressure in major tournaments.”

Supported by Mission Hills, The R&A and UBS, the aim of the FSA is to develop tomorrow’s champions. During the Chinese Taipei championship at Sunrise, a record 97 of the country’s leading young golfers – boys and girls aged 12 to 21 – experienced 36 holes under strict tournament conditions on the championship course, while off the course they received expert advice from Chinese Taipei’s Lu His-chuen, a multiple winner on the Asian Tour, and Australian golf coaches Tony Mahoney and Mark Holland. Furthermore, 30 local children attended the event to receive an introduction to golf and watch the players in action as part of Faldo’s drive to simultaneously increase access to the sport at a grass-roots level.

Also backed by Korn/Ferry International, the Chinese Taipei championship was the third of 11 FSA events in 2007 in nine different countries, including three in China plus one in each of Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and UAE.

Sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation, over 60 of Asia’s brightest prospects will qualify for the 2007 FSA grand final on the Faldo course at Mission Hills. Not only will they have the opportunity to learn from Faldo; they will also be hoping to follow in the footsteps of the 2006 champion, 18-year-old Nakarin Ratanakul of Thailand, whose victory earned him a game with Faldo, a place in the Faldo Series grand final in Europe and, courtesy of the Asian Tour, a start in the Volvo Masters of Asia and a scholarship to stage one of Asian Tour qualifying school.

Leading final scores: Boys under-21: 149 – Chan Shih-chang (71, 78); 154 – David Su (78, 76); 155 – Kuo Feng-chuan (77, 78). Boys under-18: 155 – Hung Chun-kang (75, 80); 157 – Tsai Tsung-yu (77, 80), Chien Wen-hao (77, 80). Boys under-16: 156 – Kao Teng (74, 82); 165 – Jay Hwang (79, 86); 170 – Hua Chen (84, 86). Boys under-13: 162 – Lee Chieh-po (81, 81); 170 – Sung Shih-I (83, 87); 177 – Shen Tai-wei (88, 89). Girls under-18: 153 – Lin Tzu-chi (74, 79); 156 – Tsai Pei-ying (76, 80); 164 – Huang Shen-wen (76, 88). Girls under-16: 161 – Hsieh Yu-ling (76, 85); 165 – Yao Hsuan-yu (82, 83); 166 – Liu I-chen (81, 85). Girls under-13: 165 – Wang Hwa-sing (85, 80); 172 – Hsu Wei-ling (85, 87).

August 20, 2007

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