2021 TLPGA Tour Money Winner Wu Chia-Yen (吳佳晏) continued her dominating form. On Wednesday, Wu captured her seventh victory in a span of just about 24 months at the NT$600,000 YICHEN Heritage Tour.

This is the third annual YICHEN event. Wu was also the winner in the first YICHEN Future Open, which was a TLPGA Tour Futures-tier, 54-hole event. The tournament was moved into the TLPGA Heritage Tour system with a 36-hole format since 2021, when it was rescheduled to August due to pandemic concerns.

Wu carded an impeccable 7-under 65, hitting one eagle, five birdies, and zero bogey to retain the crown on 11-under 133, five strokes lower than runner-up Shih Cheng-Sheng (石澄璇). “I couldn’t be happier. I was just feeling the ball really well,” Wu said. “At the same time, it was a very refreshing experience out there to play with the kids. They stayed very competitive but you could tell they just enjoyed themselves so much.”

The 2022 YICHEN Heritage Tour welcomes 46 local pro elites, who competes for a NT$600,000 purse, as well as 58 amateur and junior players. In the “Heritage Tour” event format, the amateur and junior players are paired with the professionals, so the young ones can closely interact with the best players and pick up valuable learning experience.

Coming into the final-round with a one-shot deficit to Chang Ching-Ling (張靖翎), Wu got off to a perfect start making birdies on Hole 3, 5, and 7 to arrive at the turn with a two-shot lead already.

She added a tap-in birdie on the 12th. On the par-5 14th, Wu took out her 6-iron for her second shot and lofted the ball from 170 yards to just 9 feet, before she calmly rolled it in to jump further higher from the chasing pack. Another 15-foot birdie on the 17th was like cherry on the cake for the eventual winner. The victory is worth NT$71,000.

“I came into today trying to pick up a shot every three holes. And I’m glad I did,” said the world no.230. “I’ll be working to pass the test and fully transition to the 2023 Japan LPGA Tour. That would be my goal for now.”

Shih Cheng-Sheng shot a final-round 67, which was composed of one eagle, five birdies, and three bogeys, closing the tournament on 6-under 138 to take the runner-up prize of NT$45,000.

Overnight leader Chang Ching-Ling finished with even-par 72 and solo third on 5-under 139.

The second round of the TLPGA Tour test was held concurrently on the Lily Golf & Country Club today. Players who are finishing the third round tomorrow on 12-over 228 or better will officially qualify for the TLPGA Tour.

The YICHEN Heritage Tour was sponsored by WIN Semiconductors and some supportive, amateur individuals who have been taught by, and are now close friends with TLPGA Chairwoman and former tour champion Liu Yi-Chen.