Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Buoyed by nine birdies made in the morning and a decisive shot late in the afternoon, Lee Chieh-po won the challenging 36-hole LIV Golf Promotions round, securing a coveted spot for the league’s 2025 season.
At 30 years old, Lee, already a four-time participant in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC), becomes the first player from Chinese Taipei to achieve full-time professional status within LIV Golf. His hope is that his victory and his presence in the league will inspire other golfers in his country.
“It means a lot to our players,” said the Asian circuit regular, who had his first victory this year at the International Series in Thailand. “LIV Golf is the dream of many players. I’m going there, they will come. »
Lee, also known as Max, posted a two-round total of -10 at Riyadh Golf Club, edging the Asian Tour player by two strokes Taichi Kho and relegating the LIV Golf player Branden Grace at the end of the ranking of the final day, where 92 competitors had started the week with the hope of joining LIV Golf.
All players finishing in the top 10 will benefit from exemptions for the ten International Series tournaments in 2025. Six players on the final draw did not have this status before: the American Ollie Schniederjansthe Australians Brett Coletta et Jack Buchanan who shared 4th place at -5; the German Max Rottluff7th at -4; as well as Korean Lee Soo-min and English David Horseyhaving finished tied for 8th place at -3.
Lee Chieh-po competed in the AAC from 2011 to 2014, making the cut each time, with a best performance of 25th place shared in Nanshan, China in 2013. Lee Soo-min, Taichi Kho, Coletta and Buchanan also played in the AAC during their amateur days.
During his three participations, the Korean Lee Soo-min finished second behind Hideki Matsuyama in Singapore in 2011, 6th in 2012 and tied for 4th in 2013. Hong Kong China’s Kho finished runner-up behind Keita Nakajima in Dubai in 2021, while Australian Coletta finished second behind his compatriot Curtis Luck in Korea in 2016.
Buchanan finished 45th in his only AAC appearance at Royal Melbourne in 2023 and was part of the APGC team that triumphed over the European Golf Association in the Ryder Cup-style Bonallack Trophy , in Spain last year before turning professional.
In Riyadh, everyone was chasing Lee Chieh-po after he recorded a seven-under 64 in his opening round, a round that included nine birdies, including four during his final five holes. This allowed him to take a two-shot lead over Schniederjans, who signed a bogey-free card of 66.
Lee maintained his lead throughout the afternoon, turning in with a one-shot lead over Grace, who had just recorded her fourth birdie of the day on hole 11.
We saw Lee pull away with a three-shot lead late in the round, but a poorly executed shot at the par-four 16th resulted in a bogey. “I hit it badly to the left, I started laughing, wondering what I was doing? ” Lee said.
When Grace and Kho finished with a birdie on the 18th hole, Lee’s lead was down to one stroke entering the par-three 17th, the toughest hole of the course this week.
It was then that he made the most decisive shot of the day, his tee ball almost grazing the hole. After making his birdie, he avoided complications at the 18th to seal his victory. “I just tried to get back into the lead after that shot on 17, which was very important. I hit my tee ball well,” Lee said.
Grace watched from the clubhouse as Lee concluded his round. He was hoping to secure his return spot with Stinger GC with this win, but the team might still consider keeping him on the team. “I played well, I gave it my all,” Grace said. “It was a great performance. Now I’m going to go home and take a vacation. »
Schniederjans, a former world number one amateur who is returning from career-ending injuries, said he was encouraged by his performance this week.
“I’m very confident about the future,” he said. “I had to make some impressive putts and shots under pressure, so that was really good to see. This gave me even more confidence. But I remain convinced of my future. »
As for Lee, his confidence is at an all-time high. A hip injury last year forced him to modify his swing, but a string of consistent performances this season, culminating in his victory in Thailand – where he toppled LIV Golf player Peter Uihlein –, indicates its impressive potential.
Now, he’s ready to compete against LIV Golf and take advantage of everything the global league has to offer. “On the LIV Tour, every player is very competitive,” he said. “I think I can learn a lot from it. »
Lee Chieh-po’s recent victory opens new perspectives for golf in Chinese Taipei. His accession to the LIV Golf League could not only inspire a new generation of golfers in his region, but also help enrich the competitive landscape of the circuit. This raises questions about how young talent can take advantage of these opportunities on a global scale. The challenge will be to see if the excitement generated by his victory will be enough to encourage other athletes to take up professional golf. Lee seems keenly aware of this responsibility, and it is encouraging to see that his vision is focused on the collective rather than individual ambitions. It will be interesting to follow the evolution of his career in the years to come and measure the impact of his presence on the development of golf in Chinese Taipei.
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