Temperature continued to soar through Wednesday morning as a two-woman battle in the final round of the Chung Cheng Heritage Tour (Autumn) heated into a play-off. Chen I-Wen (陳依妏) finally secured the victory over Kuo Ai-Chen (郭艾榛) after two play-off holes and took away a NT$71,000 winner prize.

The two finished the regular 36 holes both at 4-under-par 140, running as many as five shots ahead of the rest of the field. Yu Pei-Lin (余珮琳) (72) and Shih Huei-Ju (石惠如) (73) wrapped up tied for third at 1-over 145. First-round leader Chien Pei-Yun (錢珮芸) faded away with two consecutive double-bogeys on the first couple of holes and dropped into a tie for fifth with a 6-over 78 in the end.

This is Chen’s second Tour title after clinching the Lunch Club TPC Classic in August. The 28-year-old actually held another title back in 2011 when she won a two-day special event at the Ta Kang Shan Golf Course which would not count in official record.

It was Kuo who was the clubhouse leader after closing with two birdies in a row to register the low-round 68, until Chen pulled a late comeback and birdied the last two holes as well to force the play-off. The Linkou Golf Course based Taiwanese carded a 3-under 69.

“I was not looking at the scoreboard at all. The focus was on my own game all day. I was really just trying to concentrate on my rhythm, on how to attack the pins, so I was really surprised to find myself sharing the lead at the end with Ai-Chen. Actually, I think both of us were happily surprised. We are good friends,” said Chen, who had overcome a three-shot deficit from yesterday.

Chen and Kuo made pars returning to the last hole on the South Course of the Chang Gung Golf Club. Back to the par-4 18th again, Kuo landed her tee shot to the left side rough just in front of a tree, so she was only able to lay on her second shot off of the green. Kuo then chipped her third 13 feet over the flag and unfortunately, missed the par putt by just 1 foot. Meantime, Chen’s ball was 15 feet from the hole but Kuo’s failed first putt left it a two-putt cushion, which was just good for Chen

“This was my first time going in to a play-off and it was tense!” Chen recalled. “My heart was beating very fast on the first play-off hole. The second one was easier. A good first shot and then I made it safe to the green in two, two-putted for par, and I won. It felt great.”

“The win in August meant a lot to me,” said Chen. “It gave me great beliefs in myself that if I can win something if I can just trust on my game and myself and not let anything else come in the way.” Chen will be in the third stage for a 2016 Tour card next week in the Japan LPGA Tour qualifying tournament.

Three-time defending champion Chen Meng-Chu (陳孟竺) was tied with Chen I-Wen after the first round but fell out of contention as she posted a 4-over 76 today. Chen Meng-Chu was the winner at the Chung Cheng Heritage Tour (Spring) this April and in both editions in 2014.

The Chung Cheng Heritage Tour is a 36-hole pro-junior event where the pro event is staged concurrently with the amateur and junior events, creating rare learning environments for the next-generation youths to play up close with the experienced TLPGA pro golfers. The tournament is held on the Central and the South courses in the Chang Gung Golf Club, organized by the Chung Cheng Golf Development Foundation, co-hosted by the TLPGA and the Tseng Yani International, and presented by the Formosa Plastics Group.

The Chung Cheng Golf Development Foundation created the Chung Cheng Heritage Tour in 2013, which features two stops every season, Spring and Autumn, and brought along the Chung Cheng TLPGA Open in the same year to support TLPGA’s goal to be included as a member tour of the World Women’s Golf Ranking system, and to help lay the foundation for local Taiwanese athletes.

The Tseng Yani International continues to offer eight playing chances for the top finishing girls (aged between 11 to 18) in the Chung Cheng Heritage Tour’s junior event to take part in the Yani Tseng Swinging Skirts Golf Camp, which is set to take place at the National Golf Country Club in Miaoli, Taiwan during December 9-12.

The eight teen talents are Chou YT (周怡岑), Chang YC (張亞琦), Hsieh YT (謝映葶),Chou YT (周翊庭), Chang HC (張昕樵), Chou HW (邱譓芠), Lu HY (盧昕妤), and Wu CY (吳佳晏). The stand-out graduates in the camp will earn additional opportunities to be playing at AJGA’s Yani Tseng Invitational Presented by Swinging Skirts in the U.S. next year.