The Friends of TLPGA & Royal Open is set to kick off its three-round competition this Wednesday at the Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club. Marking its fourth year as a top-tier TLPGA Tour event, the tournament has raised its total purse to a record NT$6 million this year, thanks to Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club joining as a co-title-sponsor. The ultimate champion will walk away with a handsome winner’s check of NT$1,080,000.

A field of 102 professionals and amateurs from Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Thailand, and Singapore are ready to compete in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Headlining the field this year’s TLPGA Tour titlists, including Taiwan’s Yu Han-Hsuan (俞涵軒), Shih Cheng-Hsuan (石澄璇), and Huang Ching (黃靖), alongside Japan’s Yuria Sonoda. They will be joined by top-10 regulars Lee Hsin (李欣), Chang Ya-Chun (張雅淳), and Thailand’s Nook Sukapan, all looking to showcase their best golf in the Kuan-Hsi valley.

The title-sponsoring social club, "Friends of TLPGA," was founded in 2021 by a group of passionate, golf-loving local entrepreneurs. They believe that high-level competition and the global success of local players are key to sparking interest among sports fans and junior golfers, which is vital for the growth of the sport in Taiwan. 

Through the "Friends of TLPGA" sponsorship program, funded by member donations, the organization provides monthly financial aid and tournament sponsor exemptions to promising, up-and-coming TLPGA Tour talents.

These collected funds also helped launch the inaugural Friends of TLPGA Open in 2023 with a purse of NT$3 million. In 2024, the prize money was increased to NT$3.5 million as the tournament moved from the Gold Coast Golf Club to the Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club. This year, the tournament has taken a massive leap forward by boosting the total purse to NT$6 million.

Co-title-sponsor Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club has been a cornerstone of support for the TLPGA Tour over the years, having hosted seventeen editions of the TLPGA & Royal Open since 2002. By joining forces with the Friends of TLPGA this year to push the prize money to an all-time high, the club once again demonstrates its deep, long-term commitment to the women’s golfing environment and its proactive dedication to building a premier competitive stage for local players.

“We are fully committed to keeping this sponsorship program going strong,” said Huang J-T., executive committee member of the Friends of TLPGA. “Our goal is to help more Taiwanese players build a rock-solid foundation in both technique and physical fitness early in their professional careers, so they can proudly represent us and shine on the international stage in the future.” Fellow committee member Lin H-M. shared his excitement about the rising standard of local tournaments and how players are proving themselves through increased competition. “Beyond creating more playing opportunities on home soil, I am thrilled to witness the TLPGA Tour scale up to align with the highest international standards as one of the biggest women’s golf tour around the world,” Lin said. 

“We must express our deep gratitude to Friends of TLPGA Executive Committee Member, Mr. Huang J-T.,” TLPGA Chairwoman Huang Bie-Shyun said. “Since the pandemic, he has brought together friends from the business community to launch the Friends of TLPGA sponsorship program. This initiative provides annual training funds for our players, supports them to compete on the Epson Tour in the U.S., and establishes the Friends of TLPGA Open in 2023. We are also incredibly grateful to Royal Kuan-Hsi Golf Club as well for stepping up with their invaluable support this year.”

The tournament will be contested over 54 holes in a stroke-play format, with a par-72 layout measuring at 6,419 yards long. The opening round begins on Wednesday, with a cut to be made after the second round to determine the field for the final showdown on Friday.