Taiwan’s best-ranked golfer in the world, LPGA Tour member Hsu Wei-Ling (徐薇淩) has had one of her longest season on the TLPGA Tour. For the past five years, Hsu has been a steady fixture in the top 100, playing more than 22 events every year on the U.S.-based circuit. However, she only played three events this year.

“Suddenly, everything was shut down because of the outbreak,” Has said of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Sometimes it takes more out of you to stay at a high level when the tour is not running. It requires discipline.” Hsu maintained her training routines and made sure she stayed competitive by returning to the TLPGA Tour this June.

In fact, Hsu was a direct entry into this year’s last LPGA Tour major, the U.S. Women’s Open, which took place earlier this month. But as a Taiwan Mobile sponsored player, she decided to attend this week’s home event instead, or she wouldn’t have made it due to quarantine restrictions had she flown overseas. “I looked at the beautiful porcelain trophy, and I just felt that I had to take it home,” Hsu said, whose LPGA Tour campaign is set to start again in February.

Last year’s winner Lin Tzu-Chi (林子麒) is also amazed by the craftsmanship of the sapphire blue Frantz Porcelains cup. “I’m taking it! I’m so in love with the blue the moment I saw it,” said Lin, as she declared her determination to defend a victory for the first time. Having gone through a strict diet plan, Lin shaved some seven kilograms of weight and looked a lot more toned than last year when she lifted the title by a three-shot winning margin. Hsu, however, threw back some joking words of disagreement. “I have made a space for it already in my trophy case. It’s mine to take.”

In the 2018 event, there were four aces scored on the 16th hole of the Tong Hwa Golf & Country Club, setting a Guinness World Record of “Most holes-in-one in a single tournament (same hole) (4)”. This year, rich hole-in-one prizes were up for grabs on the 6th, 13th, and the glory-filled 16th hole, presented by Eagle Golf, Citizen timepiece, and Frantz Porcelains. To commemorate the once in a hundred years achievement in 2018, unlike regular hole-in-one bonus which was given to only the first ace, every player to score an ace on the 16th green will receive a Frantz art piece worth NT$100,000.