Thailand’s Ekpharit Wu clinched his maiden Asian Tour title at the US$400,000 Taiwan Glass Taifong Open, beating local favourite Hung Chien-yao by two shots.
The 26-year-old fired a five-under 67 at Taifong Golf Club to finish on 20-under, capitalising on Hung’s back-to-back bogeys on the 15th and 16th holes. The victory lifts Wu from 73rd to 28th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit and earns him a spot in next week’s US$5 million PIF Saudi International.
Hung, who led for most of the week, settled for second after a late stumble but still made a significant jump on the Merit list from 110th to 57th, keeping alive his streak of 12 consecutive seasons on Tour.
Guatemala’s Jose Toledo shot the round of the day with a 65 to tie for third at 12-under alongside Sweden’s Charlie Lindh, while Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig slipped to solo fifth after a closing bogey.
Ekpharit, with his wife Pam on the bag, said he relied on self-belief and calm focus throughout the round. He also dedicated the win to his father from Chinese Taipei, crediting him for teaching him the game. Hung, meanwhile, said he felt he lacked the luck needed to close out the tournament despite playing well.
Toledo and Lindh were pleased with their best finishes of the season, with both players boosting their chances of securing full playing rights for next year. The Taiwan Glass Taifong Open marked the 18th leg of the 2025 Asian Tour season, which now moves to Riyadh for the PIF Saudi International.
