Hung on a High After Ending 21-Year Wait for Victory

Taipei, Chinese-Taipei: Hung Chien-yao could not have wished for a more timely boost ahead of this week’s golf tournament at the 20th Asian Games.

Hung is part of the Chinese Taipei team that is bidding for medal glory at the Kasugai Country Club’s East Course in Aichi Prefecture from September 30 to October 3.

And none of the competitors would have arrived in Japan in better spirits than 34-year-old Hung, who ended a two-decades long wait for his maiden Asian Tour title with victory in the Mercuries Taiwan Masters on Sunday.

Hung drained a 20-foot putt for birdie on the final hole to beat Australian Wade Ormsby by one shot.

Despite bogeys at 16 and 17, Hung fired a closing one-under-par 71 to finish on eight-under 276 at Taiwan Golf & Country Club. Ormsby did his best to spoil his party by shooting a 67 – the joint lowest round of the day.

Hung, whose wife, Nikki, was caddying for him, said: “I’m very excited and very, very happy. My whole body is still shaking. I’m thankful for all the people to come here to support me.

“I know a lot of people were coming 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. I’m very happy with the final result.”

The victory came 21 years after Hung played in his first event on the Asian Tour when he was a 13-year-old amateur, the Mercuries Taiwan Masters in 2005.

Having finished third in the previous 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, Hung has finished second once – in last year’s Taiwan Glass Taifong Open – third four times, and fourth on four occasions.

He is now in sixth place on the 2026 Asian Tour Order of Merit, having earned a cheque for US$240,000.