Huang Ching (黃靖) was crowned the winner in the final event of this TLPGA Tour season, the Kaohsiung Golf Heritage Tour, birdieing the second play-off hole to outshine Wu Hsiao-Ling (吳曉玲) and overnight leader Lee Hsin (李欣). The win is worth NT$71,000.

The Kaohsiung native completed the final round with a 73, finishing on 5-over 149 in the regular round and joining Wu and Lee at the top of the leaderboard.

The trio came back to the par-4 18th. Lee was first to bow out after a three-putt bogey. Wu, who made par and moved with Huang into the second tiebreaker on the par-5 1st, found herself in trouble as she failed to get on the green in regulation, while Huang converted a 7-footer on her fourth shot to claim the victory with a birdie.

This is Huang’s fourth career title and third in 2018 alone. She was the winner at the TLPGA Tour and the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour co-sanctioned ICTSI Champion Tour - Tagaytay Midlands this July. Huang is also a China LPGA Tour champion with a win at the Orient Masters Wuhan Challenge in June.

Huang made one bogey on Thursday on the 2nd hole at the Kaohsiung Golf Course, failing to sink a 7-foot par putt, which left her the only mark on the scorecard. “I was saving pars left and right. I was driving better than yesterday, but I couldn’t get it close to the pin enough. It was really difficult out there. I think I tried my best to stay calm. Saving those pars on the last three holes was very crucial,” said Huang, who made a 36-footer on the 16th green after a bunker shot. Another par-saving attempt on the 17th from 6 feet also went in. Before she finally stepped it up and notched a birdie when it mattered the most – in the sudden-death play-off – and fended off Lee and Wu.

“It’s been an incredible season for me. I have to say I didn’t see myself winning twice on the TLPGA Tour alone,” said Huang. “But I know I’ve still got a long way to go, my consistency, my fitness. I was rather sad to not make it pass the third qualifying stage to play on the Korean Tour a couple of weeks ago. I’m going to work really hard and hopefully, I’ll see myself lifting a major trophy in the next season and make the top 5 on the Tour. I’m also eagerly waiting for a chance to play in the LPGA Tour Taiwan Championship. They are on my check list.”

In Group Amateurs of Women’s 16-25, 16-year-old Hung Yu-Lin (洪玉霖) became the only player to break par on Thursday. She finished the 36-hole tournament on even-par 144 after a final-round 70. Hung was born in New Zealand and raised in Kaohsiung. Hung’s table tennis coach introduced her to a golf camp when she was 9, and it was when she started to establish a future career. Her best finish in the junior’s tournament this year was a 6th in Australia.

Lai Yi-Ting (賴怡廷) won the closest-to-pin award on Day 2, worth NT$20,000, with the record of 1.48 m. She finished in a tie for fourth with Wu Yi-Ching (伍以晴), the Day 1 winner, and Wu Chih-Yun (吳芷昀) at 150.

The Kaohsiung Golf Heritage Tour is the final pit stop on the 2018 TLPGA Tour. Main sponsorships this week include Mr. Frank Chen Cultural and Educational Foundation and Kaohsiung Golf Club.

The TLPGA Heritage Series applies the pro-junior system, in which the TLPGA pros are grouped with amateurs and junior golfers, with an aim to provide a platform for closer interaction between the experienced and the young prospects.