2026 Taiwan Masters: Hong Jianyao takes the lead alone and challenges the high championship bonus

The third round of the 2026 Taiwan Masters and the 40th Sanshang Cup Golf Invitational Tournament was held today at the Taiwan Golf Club (Old Tamsui Course) with a century-old history. Taiwanese player Hong Jianyao played steadily and shot a two-under-par 70, with a total score of 209, one stroke higher than yesterday's second and temporarily ranking first.

This year’s total prize money increased to US$1.2 million (approximately NT$37.2 million) for the first time, making it one of the highest-prize tournaments in Taiwan’s men’s professional competition this year. The championship bonus was increased to US$240,000 (approximately NT$7.44 million), setting a record for the highest championship bonus in the history of Taiwan’s men’s professional competition. Hong Jianyao played in the last group with Zhang Weilun, who was one stroke ahead of him. He played well on the first nine holes and scored three birdies. However, he encountered trouble on the short par-3 10th hole on his return. His tee shot missed the left and bounced into the hazard. After a penalty throw, he hit five strokes and suffered a "double bogey". He responded: "I was a little upset at first, but my wife, who is a golf club, comforted me that it was easy to make mistakes on this hole and I would just make it up later. After I adjusted my mentality, I made two consecutive birdies on the 14th and 15th holes. I also showed my patience and skill in the remaining holes and finished with par."

Sim Weicheng, who was one stroke behind Hong Jianyao, had three birdies and one bogey today and shot 70. Malaysian Gavin Green finished with 71. The two of them tied for second with the same score of 210. Shen Weicheng made a 21-foot long putt for birdie on the first hole. However, Shen Weicheng believed that his tee shot today was not very good, but he did not make any big mistakes. He hit the iron shots and chip shots well. Even if he failed to hit the green, he saved a lot of pars. For example, the second shot on the 16th hole fell on an old ball mark, so he hit an eight-iron to the green, very close to the hole, and successfully saved par. "I am satisfied with the overall performance. I will try to keep a normal attitude towards competing for the championship tomorrow and will not put too much pressure on myself."