TLPGA Open: Bisera makes way to Top 9 as Hou triumphs
TAICHUNG, Taiwan – Yvon Bisera made good on her vow to fight back, closing with a solid five-under 67 to storm into the Top 10, while local ace Yu Chiang Hou held her nerve through a dramatic three-way playoff to capture the Kenda Tires TLPGA Open title at the Taichung International Golf Club on Friday.
Bisera saved her best for last.
After a costly 73 in the second round had seemingly derailed her title hopes following an impressive 67 opening round, the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour star returned to the course with renewed purpose and produced her second five-under card in the tournament — to vault from joint 16th into ninth at nine-under 207.
She wasted little time announcing her intentions, rattling off three straight birdies from No. 4 to ignite her final-round charge. More birdies at Nos. 13 and 17 completed a gutsy comeback that restored the momentum she had lost a day earlier.
Bisera was just one stroke off the lead after the opening round but slipped seven shots behind the pace following a costly second-round stumble.
She vowed to bounce back in the final round — and she delivered on that promise.
While the late surge came too late to put her back into contention for the title, it provided a strong finish to a tournament in which Bisera showed she could contend with the region’s leading players.
Seoyun Kim also rallied strongly, firing a bogey-free 68 to emerge as the next-best LPGT player, tying for 20th at 212 in the NT$4-million, 54-hole championship, a co-sanctioned tournament by the LPGT.
The young Korean made two birdies on each nine and relied on a couple of clutch scrambling pars to keep her card spotless and complete a steady final-round recovery.
Sarah Ababa carded a 72 after making two birdies on the back nine that offset a pair of bogeys, finishing joint 23rd at 213.
Mafy Singson, meanwhile, mounted her own late charge. She opened the back nine with a sizzling 33 but wavered down the stretch, needing a birdie on No. 8 to salvage a 36 coming home. Her closing 69 nevertheless lifted her six places, from 37th to a share of 31st at 214.
Jiwon Lee, the other LPGT mainstay to make the cut, closed with a 72 to share 49th at 218.
But while Bisera and the other LPGT players were battling to finish strong, the tournament at the top was turning into a gripping local thriller.
Hou, one of the former twin prodigies of Taiwanese golf, overcame a double bogey on No. 8 with a remarkable back-nine response, draining three birdies to shoot 68 and finish regulation at 14-under 202.
That proved just enough to force a three-way playoff with local amateur Jie-En Lin and Korean SeulGi Geong, who also finished at 202 after closing with rounds of 63 and 68, respectively.
From there, the championship became a test of nerve.
Lin was the first to blink, failing to match Hou and Geong’s birdies on No. 18 and bowing out of the title race.
Then came an even more dramatic twist between Hou and Geong.
Geong appeared to have a chance to seize control, standing just 12 feet from the hole, but the pressure of the moment proved unforgiving. She three-putted, turning what had been a title opportunity into a costly collapse.
Hou needed no second invitation.
With the championship suddenly in her hands, the local star calmly stepped up and drained a seven-foot birdie putt to seal the victory in spectacular fashion.
What had begun as a three-way battle for the title ended with Hou standing alone, while Lin was left to rue the playoff bogey and Geong the agonizing three-putt that opened the door for the Taiwanese ace.
Thai Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong, who had surged into the lead with a blistering 63 in the second round, finished fourth at 12-under 204. She appeared to remain in the hunt after turning in 33 on the front nine, but her challenge unraveled on the back, where she bogeyed three of the first seven holes. A birdie on the last salvaged a 71, but it was not enough to force her way into the playoff.
For the ICTSI-backed Bisera, however, the closing 67 offered its own reward — a strong rebound after a disappointing middle round and a reminder of how quickly momentum can return in championship golf. (Pool story)
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