Lin Wen-tang of Chinese Taipei is ready to secure his place in the Olympics with a good showing at the US$500,000 Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) which gets underway at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club from June 30 to July 3.
The Yeangder TPC is the final Olympic qualifying event on the Asian Tour and will provide leading Olympic contenders with a final chance to seal their entry to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil before the qualifying window closes onJuly 11.
Lin currently sits right at the cut-off mark in 60th position on the International Golf Federationâs (IGF) Olympic ranking list and knows he needs to show the form that led him to six Asian Tour titles to assure himself of a ticket to Rio de Janeiro in August.
Only the top 60 players are guaranteed a spot at the Olympics where golf will be making its return after a 112-year absence.
âItâs important I play well to seal my place as I have a very good chance of making it into the Olympics and itâll be an absolute honour and privilege to represent my country,â said Lin.
While Lin has been victorious on numerous occasions on home soil, the Yeangder TPC has still eluded him and it is a record that the 41-year-old hopes will change.
A victory will also help Lin repay the faith of Yeangder Group Chairman, Emmet Hsu, who has been instrumental in the development of golf in Chinese Taipei.
âMr. Emmet is one of the key people behind my success. He has supported and helped many local players including myself develop their full potential.
âA win at his own sponsored tournament will be a nice reward for him,â said Lin, whose best finish at the Yeangder TPC was tied fourth at the 2011 and 2012 editions.
Lin will have to contend with many of the best players from the Asian Tour for the Yeangder TPC.
They include Thailandâs Thaworn Wiratchant, an 18-time Asian Tour winner, Indiaâs Rashid Khan, Singaporeâs Mardan Mamat, Malaysiaâs Danny Chia and compatriot Lu Wei-chih, who remains the only player from Chinese Taipei to have won the Yeangder TPC.
The Yeangder TPC is one of two Asian Tour tournaments to be staged annually in Chinese Taipei, with the other being the Mercuries Taiwan Masters.
Established in 2010, the Yeangder Group had recently renewed its commitment to sponsor the popular event for another three years.
