Lu Wei-chih holed out from the rough for eagle at the first playoff hole to defeat fellow Chinese Taipei players Wang Wei-hsuan and Shapiyate Mako and capture the US$120,000 HCT ADT Open after a thrilling finish at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club on Friday.

The three players finished tied on 15-under-par 273 after Wang posted the clubhouse lead with a brilliant seven-under-par 65, before Lu and Mako both birdied the 72nd hole to force extra holes.

Returning to the par-five 18th for the playoff, Mako’s approach came up short of the green before he chipped close with his third shot. Wang reached the green in three and faced a birdie putt from around seven feet.

Lu, meanwhile, missed the green to the right with his approach, leaving himself about 24 yards away in the rough. He then produced the defining moment of the tournament, pitching the ball onto the green and watching it roll straight into the cup for a remarkable walk-off eagle and the title.

“I was just trying to make birdies and play shot by shot. I kept it very simple,” Lu said.

“That eagle chip-in in the playoff was a surprise. It’s not an easy shot because it’s difficult to stop the ball on these greens. I was only trying to get it close. I didn’t expect it to go in.”

Lu celebrated the victory with his son, who has been carrying his bag throughout the week.

“We couldn’t believe it went in,” he said. “I don’t think I could do it again if you asked me to play that shot a hundred times.”

The victory completed a dramatic turnaround after Lu appeared to have surrendered control of the tournament during the final round.

Beginning the day with a four-shot advantage, the overnight leader stumbled early with a costly double bogey at the par-five fifth as the chasing pack closed in.

“I didn’t actually start well today and a lot of players were really chasing me,” he said. “The double bogey was costly and my mindset changed from there. I knew I might not be leading anymore.”

Rather than becoming defensive, Lu said he decided to attack.

“I told myself to play more aggressively and commit to the shots,” he said. “I’m glad I made the playoff and gave myself another chance.”

Wang looked destined to lift the trophy after producing the day’s best round of seven-under-par 65.

Playing in the 15th group, he birdied four of his opening five holes and turned in five-under-par 31. Despite a costly double bogey at the par-three 15th, he birdied the closing hole to post the clubhouse target at 15-under.

“I didn’t look at the leaderboard at all,” Wang said. “I just focused on every shot.”

Mako, who had struggled with dizziness during Thursday’s third round, recovered with a composed bogey-free 68. Playing alongside Lu in the final group, he birdied the 18th to earn his place in the playoff before narrowly missing out on the title.

Lu Wei-chih of Chinese Taipei with wife Zhuang Hui Jun and son Lu I-hsien pictured with the winner’s trophy following his victory in 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

Lu said the victory carried special significance after battling back from serious illness.

“This win gives me a new direction on how to move forward in my career,” he said. “It’s been quite a long journey since I fell sick, but I’ve come to accept it and face it. I worked my way back to the golf course.”

He said the unwavering support of his sponsors helped him through the toughest period of his career.

“I have no reason to give up. My sponsors never gave up on me, so I had no reason to give up on myself.”

Lu said rebuilding his strength had taken time, particularly with the demands of playing in hot conditions.

“It took a lot of effort to get my body back to where it should be,” he said. “I knew I had to work on my stamina. It’s very important when you play in weather like this.”

He also paid tribute to his wife for helping him return to professional golf.

“She has always been considerate and caring about my health and has supported our family,” he said. “Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to come back and play golf.”

Despite claiming one of the most memorable victories of his career, Lu said he remains focused on taking his career one step at a time as he attempts to regain his Asian Tour card after losing it four years ago.

“I haven’t been able to keep my Asian Tour card over the last four years,” he said. “This is my first ADT win and I hope I can play my way back to the Asian Tour.”

“I’ll play the rest of the ADT events this season and hopefully earn my card for next year so I don’t have to go back to Qualifying School.”

“I just want to get a little bit better every day, even if it’s only a small step,” he said.

Chan Chia-han finished fourth on 14-under-par 274 after closing with a six-under-par 66, while Hsieh Ting-wei was fifth on 13-under following another 66.

Another highlight came from Korea’s Jaeil Kim, who recorded the tournament’s third hole-in-one when he aced the 173-yard par-three 12th with a six-iron during his final-round 70.

Chinese Taipei’s Lu Wei-chih fired a flawless nine-under-par 63 to surge into a commanding four-shot lead after the third round of the US$120,000 HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club on Thursday.

Starting the day tied for fifth, Lu produced the lowest round of the tournament to reach 15-under-par 201, opening a four-shot advantage over overnight leader Shapiyate Mako, who slipped back after a three-under-par 69.

Another local favourite, Chang Wei-lun, remains in contention in third place on 10-under-par 206 after also carding a 69.

Lu’s bogey-free round featured nine birdies as the experienced campaigner took firm control heading into Friday’s final round.

He made his move with birdies at the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth to turn in five-under-par 31 before adding further birdies at the 10th, 16th, 17th and 18th for an inward 32.

Despite the outstanding score, Lu said he remained focused on taking the course one hole at a time.

“I just tried to do my best on every hole,” he said.

He identified the sixth and seventh as two of the key moments of the day.

At the sixth, Lu holed an 18-foot putt to save par after an errant approach shot, while at the seventh he recovered from the rough to scramble another valuable par.

Lu also credited his son, Lu I-hsien, who has been carrying the bag throughout the week.

“He reads the greens very well, so having him caddie for me has been a big help,” he said.

Despite opening up a sizeable advantage, Lu insisted he would not be thinking about the title.

“I’m not thinking too much about winning. I’ll just keep taking it one step at a time.”

Shapiyate Mako of Chinese Taipei pictured in action during Round Three 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

Mako, who began the day with a one-shot lead, battled through difficult conditions to remain alone in second place.

The Chinese Taipei player said he felt fine over the opening nine, but began to suffer from the heat during the inward half.

“I started to feel dizzy and wasn’t feeling very good, but I just tried to finish the round,” he said.

Despite feeling unwell, Mako birdied both par fives on the back nine but admitted his concentration suffered over the closing holes.

“Maybe if I had been able to concentrate better, the score could have been a little lower,” he said.

Still within striking distance, Mako said his strategy for the final round would remain straightforward.

“I’ll try to keep the ball in the fairway and on the greens, then take my chances when the birdie opportunities come.”

Chang remained five shots behind after making six birdies in his round, but a double bogey at the sixth and another dropped shot proved costly.

Chang Wei-lun of Chinese Taipei pictured in action during Round Three 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

He also regretted missing a five-foot birdie putt at the closing hole.

“Five shots is not easy to make up, but it’s hard to say what will happen tomorrow,” Chang said. “I’ll just do my best.”

USA’s Johnny Walker climbed into a share of sixth after a five-under-par 67, racing to the turn in 31 before two back-nine bogeys slowed his charge.

Walker, who has previously competed at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club, said local knowledge had been a significant advantage.

“I’ve played this course before, so it helps because it’s kind of a funky golf course. You need to know where to hit it and where not to hit it,” he said.

Another highlight came from fellow Chinese Taipei player Tsai Tsung-yu, who recorded the tournament’s second hole-in-one in as many days when he aced the 190-yard par-three 15th with a seven-iron during a four-under-par 68. Tsai finished the day tied for fourth on nine-under-par 207 alongside compatriot Su Ching-hung.

With a four-shot cushion over Mako and five over Chang, Lu will take a commanding advantage into Friday’s final round as he bids for the HCT ADT Open title.

Main picture: Lu Wei-chih of Chinese Taipei reads a putt accompanied by his son and caddy Lu I-hsien during the third round of the HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club in Hsinchu, Chinese Taipei, on July 23, 2026. Lu fired a bogey-free 63 to lead the US$120,000 Asian Development Tour event by four shots.

Chinese Taipei’s Shapiyate Mako carded a six-under-par 66 featuring the first hole-in-one of his professional career to open up a one-shot lead after the second round of the US$120,000 HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club on Wednesday.

Starting the day tied for 19th after an opening-round 70, Mako climbed 18 places with a composed second-round performance to reach eight-under-par 136. He heads into the final two rounds one stroke clear of Japan’s Nobuaki Oda and Shunichiro Morioka, and fellow Chinese Taipei player Chang Wei-lun, who share second place on seven-under 137.

The highlight of Mako’s round came at the 155-yard par-three eighth, where he holed a nine-iron from 145 yards for the first hole-in-one of his professional career.

“It was my first hole-in-one in a professional tournament,” he said.

The 30-year-old said every aspect of his game contributed to his move into the outright lead, particularly his approach play, which consistently left him with makeable birdie opportunities.

Birdies at the fourth, seventh, 10th and 18th were complemented by the ace at the eighth, while his only blemishes came with bogeys at the opening hole and the sixth.

Shunichiro Morioka of Japan pictured in action during Round Two 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

Mako credited his extensive experience around Hsin Feng Golf Country Club for helping him avoid trouble and plot his way around one of the more demanding layouts on the Asian Development Tour schedule.

“I’ve played this course many, many times, from my amateur days through my professional career,” he said. “I know where you can’t miss it and where the ball needs to be. Today I played very steadily and created a lot of birdie opportunities.”

Oda stayed firmly in contention after posting a two-under-par 68, while Morioka battled to an even-par 70 despite carding five birdies.

The Japanese player admitted the putter prevented him from challenging for the lead after suffering two costly three-putts.

“My driving and iron play were good today, but I couldn’t control my putting,” he said.

Despite the frustrations on the greens, Morioka still produced several highlights, including a chip-in birdie at the ninth, a two-putt birdie after reaching the par-five 14th in two shots, and a five-metre birdie putt at the 15th.

Chang matched Morioka’s even-par 70 to remain one shot off the lead, with the local player continuing to benefit from his familiarity with the course.

Chang Wei-lun of Chinese Taipei pictured in action during Round Two 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

Nine players are tied for eighth place on five-under-par 139, including first-round co-leaders Hung Chien-yao and Tawit Polthai, while another five players sit just a shot further back on four-under 140 to leave the tournament finely balanced heading into the third round.

India’s Shaurya Bhattacharya produced the round of the tournament, a superb eight-under-par 64, to climb from five over after the opening round into a tie for 22nd on three-under 141.

After struggling on Tuesday, Bhattacharya said the turnaround came from changing his mindset rather than altering his swing.

“Yesterday I expected too much from myself because I knew it was going to be a scoring week,” he said. “Today I went onto the course with no expectations and that really helped.”

Starting on the back nine, Bhattacharya birdied his second hole to build confidence before taking advantage of the scoring opportunities on the inward half. He missed just one fairway all day, with his only bogey following that miss.

“I drove the ball really well and missed only one fairway, which led to my only bogey,” he said. “The course is demanding off the tee, so tomorrow I’ll just focus on hitting fairways and doing the same things I did today.”

With just three shots separating Mako from the group tied for eighth, another closely contested day is expected when the tournament resumes on Thursday.