Salhab, Hung and Tawit share first-round lead at HCT ADT Open
Saudi Arabia’s Faisal Salhab, Chinese Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao and Thailand’s Tawit Polthai carded six-under-par 66s to share the opening-round lead at the US$120,000 HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club on Tuesday.
The trio finished one stroke clear of a group of five players after the opening day of the 10th event of the 2026 Asian Development Tour season and the final stop of the Tour’s three-week swing through Chinese Taipei.
Salhab, who set the clubhouse target after the morning wave, recovered from an early setback to produce a flawless back nine of five-under 31.
Starting from the first tee, the Saudi opened with a birdie at the par-three second before dropping his only shot of the day at the fourth. A good drive left him well positioned, but his approach flew over the green into a bunker, leading to a bogey. He recovered with birdies at the eighth and ninth before catching fire on the inward half, adding further gains at the 11th, 13th, 15th, 16th and closing par-five 18th.
“It was good. It was a bit tricky in the beginning for me. The first nine was a bit everywhere, then I kind of figured out the driver and it became a lot easier from the fairway,” said Salhab.
The 27-year-old described Hsin Feng as one of the more demanding layouts on the schedule.
“I do like the course. It’s tricky, so you always have to leave yourself some room and just do your best out there. It is very tricky.”
Competing in Chinese Taipei for the first time, Salhab said he had enjoyed both the golf courses and the experience during the Tour’s three-week visit.
“It’s my first time here and it’s been very nice. The golf courses are really different to what I’m used to, so it’s been a new experience.”
Faisal Salhab of Saudi Arabia pictured in action during Round One of the HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club in Hsinchu, Chinese Taipei. The US$120,000 Asian Development Tour event is being played from July 21-24, 2026
Fresh from claiming last week’s Ambassador ADT Open, Hung continued his rich vein of form with another impressive display, mixing six birdies with a lone bogey to delight the home galleries.
The 34-year-old said the victory had given him renewed confidence, although he was still working on refining his swing ahead of a busy stretch of tournaments.
“I think I’m doing pretty good. Maybe because I won last week my confidence feels pretty good,” he said. “But I’m still working on my game. Before last week I was struggling with my long game and looking for my swing.”
Hung even spent time with his long-time coach, Danny Wei, before heading to the course.
“I went to see him this morning before coming to the course because I’m trying to get everything ready for the next Asian Tour events.”
Playing at a course he knows well also provided an advantage.
“We play here a couple of times a year and this is my sponsor’s club, so of course I want to play well here. They’re like family to me and have supported me a lot.”
Tawit Polthai of Thailand pictured in action during Round One of the HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club in Hsinchu, Chinese Taipei. The US$120,000 Asian Development Tour event is being played from July 21-24, 2026
Thailand’s Tawit Polthai produced one of the day’s grittiest rounds despite admitting he struggled to find the fairways.
“I missed a lot of tee shots and my second shots were often on the wrong side,” he said. “But my chipping and putting were very good today.”
Tawit said his iron play and short game compensated for his erratic driving, while his experience of Hsin Feng proved invaluable.
“You have to hit the tee shot well here. If you miss the fairway it’s very difficult. I’ve played this course many times, so I know how to play it if I can find the fairways.”
Five players share fourth place on five-under 67: Korea’s Jaeil Kim, England’s Johnny Walker, Japan’s Shunichiro Morioka, Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai and Chinese Taipei’s Chang Wei-lun.
Chang said every part of his game clicked, particularly his short game and putting, while his familiarity with Hsin Feng helped him manage the conditions.
“Everything was good today – driving, iron play, chipping and putting,” he said. “I know this course very well, so I understand the wind and where the ball needs to be on every shot.”
A further nine players are tied for 11th on three-under 69, ensuring a tightly packed leaderboard heading into Wednesday’s second round.
Chinese Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao fired a brilliant five-under-par 66 to come from five shots behind and claim a two-stroke victory at the US$120,000 Ambassador ADT Open at Taipei Golf Club.
Hung began Friday’s final round tied for ninth on one-over-par but produced the lowest score of the day to finish on four-under-par 280, completing a remarkable climb through the field after rounds of 72, 73 and 69 this week.
The victory came after a dramatic final day which saw overnight leader Chan Shih-chang surrender a three-shot advantage, while Hung surged through the field with a closing round featuring an eagle and four birdies against a solitary bogey.
Hung admitted victory was far from his thoughts when he teed off in the fourth-last group.
“I wasn’t really thinking I was going to win,” he said. “This is one of the most challenging golf courses in Taiwan. My wife is a professional golfer and she reminded me that on this course, if you can make par, you have a lot of chances. You don’t have to think about making birdie all the time.”
That patient approach paid dividends before Hung’s outlook changed when he checked the leaderboard with three holes remaining and realised the title was within reach.
At the par-five 16th, he switched to a more aggressive strategy and was rewarded with a decisive eagle. After finding the fairway with his drive, Hung had 256 yards to the pin and struck a five-wood that landed around 30 yards short of the flag before bounding onto the green and finishing just two feet from the hole.
“I saw the leaderboard and going into 16 I changed my plan,” he said. “I wanted to go for it and be a little more aggressive, which I did, and I’m very happy for it.”
Hung Chien-yao of Chinese Taipei pictured in action during Round Four of the Ambassador ADT Open at Taipei Golf Club. The US$120,000 ADT event is held from July 14-17, 2026.
The victory carried particular significance for the 34-year-old, who admitted he had recently questioned whether he could continue competing successfully against the emerging generation of younger professionals.
“I’ve been a professional for about 14 years and I thought maybe I’m getting kind of old and I can’t really compete with the younger players,” he said. “But this win means a lot to me. It makes me think I’m still young and I can still compete in the game. Maybe I have another 10 or 20 years of golf to play.”
Hung also thanked his sponsors and family, reserving special appreciation for his wife and young child after claiming a title on home soil.
Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong and Chinese Taipei duo Wang Wei-hsuan and Su Ching-hung shared second place on two-under-par 282. Runchanapong and Wang both closed with three-under-par 68s, while Su signed for a 70.
Wang made his move through the field without realising how close he was to the lead, having deliberately avoided looking at the leaderboard.
“I didn’t see a scoreboard,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking about the score. I just wanted to enjoy the game.”
The Chinese Taipei player said his driving had been a strength throughout the week but found the grainy greens and surrounding areas difficult. He made equipment adjustments ahead of the final round, changing both his wedge grind and putter, and felt the changes contributed to his closing 68.
Wang, who also played well during the closing stages of last week’s Ever Glory ADT Open, said his confidence was continuing to grow ahead of next week’s HCT ADT Open.
“I’m pretty confident with my swing right now,” he said. “If I’m in position, I think I can win maybe next week.”
He also credited his wife, Cindy Zhou, who was on the bag during the tournament. Zhou played college golf in the United States, and Wang said her experience had been particularly valuable in helping him with the mental side of his game.
“It’s really good, it’s really fun and we work very well together,” he said. “She can help me, especially with my mental game. I can feel more free.”
Italy’s Michele Ortolani and Chinese Taipei’s Wen Cheng-hsiang shared fifth place on one-under-par 283 after matching final rounds of 69.
Malaysia’s Khavish Varadan and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wei also closed with 69s to share seventh place on even-par 284 with overnight leader Chan, whose hopes of victory faded with a final-round 75.
The final day also produced the fourth hole-in-one of an event that had already seen three aces at the 151-yard 18th during Tuesday’s opening round. Chinese Taipei’s Hsieh Ting-wei added his name to the list with an eight-iron at the 180-yard par-three fourth on his way to a closing 71.
The Ambassador ADT Open was the ninth event of the 2026 Asian Development Tour season and the second of three consecutive US$120,000 tournaments in Chinese Taipei, following last week’s Ever Glory ADT Open. The swing concludes next week with the HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club from July 21-24.
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