Tze-Chung Chen
Encyclopedia
Tze-Chung Chen (born 24 June 1958) is a Taiwan
ese professional golf
er. In the U.S., he is often referred to as T.C. Chen. His older brother, Tze-Ming Chen
, is also a professional golfer. In 1982, T.C. Chen became the first professional golfer from Taiwan to earn a PGA Tour
card. He played a total of 132 tournaments on the PGA Tour, making the cut in 78, with 13 top-ten finishes, and over $633,000 in total earnings.
At the 1985 U.S. Open
, he scored the first double eagle in U.S. Open history and tied the record low scores for the championship at that time after 36 holes (134) and 54 holes (203), but he fell away in the final round and finished tied for second, one shot behind Andy North
. His fourth round included a quadruple bogey eight that featured a chip shot that he hit twice in one swing, and became part of the history of disastrous shots in the final round of a major. As a result of this shot, he is sometimes referred to as "Two Chip" Chen. He nearly recovered to win on the 18th, missing a chip shot by one inch, which secured the victory for North.
Chen finished second twice in his career, at the 1983 Kemper Open, where he lost a five-man playoff to Fred Couples
, and the 1985 U.S. Open. He played on the PGA Tour for 10 years, having his best year in 1987, when he finished 51st in earnings, 12th at the Masters, and won the 1987 Los Angeles Open. He would return to Asia in 1990, played extensively on the Japan Golf Tour
, where he won six tournaments, and also appeared occasionally on the European Tour. He last played on the PGA Tour in 1997, returning to the U.S. to play in in the Los Angeles Open. He also played the 2008 Senior British Open on the Champions Tour
.
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
ese professional golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er. In the U.S., he is often referred to as T.C. Chen. His older brother, Tze-Ming Chen
Tze-Ming Chen
Tze-Ming Chen is a Taiwanese professional golfer. In the U.S., he is often referred to as T.M. Chen. His younger brother, Tze-Chung Chen, is also a professional golfer....
, is also a professional golfer. In 1982, T.C. Chen became the first professional golfer from Taiwan to earn a PGA Tour
PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...
card. He played a total of 132 tournaments on the PGA Tour, making the cut in 78, with 13 top-ten finishes, and over $633,000 in total earnings.
At the 1985 U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
, he scored the first double eagle in U.S. Open history and tied the record low scores for the championship at that time after 36 holes (134) and 54 holes (203), but he fell away in the final round and finished tied for second, one shot behind Andy North
Andy North
Andrew Stewart North is an American professional golfer who is best known for winning the U.S. Open twice.- Early years :North was born in Thorp, Wisconsin, and raised in Monona, Wisconsin...
. His fourth round included a quadruple bogey eight that featured a chip shot that he hit twice in one swing, and became part of the history of disastrous shots in the final round of a major. As a result of this shot, he is sometimes referred to as "Two Chip" Chen. He nearly recovered to win on the 18th, missing a chip shot by one inch, which secured the victory for North.
Chen finished second twice in his career, at the 1983 Kemper Open, where he lost a five-man playoff to Fred Couples
Fred Couples
Frederick Steven Couples is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. A former World No. 1, he has won numerous events, most notably the 1992 Masters Tournament. In August 2011 he won his maiden senior major at the Senior Players Championship...
, and the 1985 U.S. Open. He played on the PGA Tour for 10 years, having his best year in 1987, when he finished 51st in earnings, 12th at the Masters, and won the 1987 Los Angeles Open. He would return to Asia in 1990, played extensively on the Japan Golf Tour
Japan Golf Tour
The Japan Golf Tour is a prominent golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third highest annual prize fund out of the regular men's professional tours after the PGA Tour and the European Tour. However since the early 1990s, the growth in prize money has not kept pace with...
, where he won six tournaments, and also appeared occasionally on the European Tour. He last played on the PGA Tour in 1997, returning to the U.S. to play in in the Los Angeles Open. He also played the 2008 Senior British Open on the Champions Tour
Champions Tour
The Champions Tour, a golf tour run by the PGA Tour, hosts a series of events annually in the United States and the United Kingdom for golfers 50 years of age and older. Many of the PGA Tour's most successful golfers have gone on to play on the Champions Tour.The Senior PGA Championship, founded in...
.
PGA Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 Feb 1987 1987 PGA Tour The 1987 PGA Tour season was played from January 7 to November 1. The season consisted of 46 official money events. Paul Azinger and Curtis Strange won the most tournaments, three, and there were 10 first-time winners. The tournament results, leaders, and award winners are listed below.-Tournament... |
Los Angeles Open | Playoff |  Ben CrenshawBen Crenshaw Ben Daniel Crenshaw is an American professional golfer.Crenshaw was born in Austin, Texas. He attended and played golf at Austin High School and the University of Texas, where he won three NCAA Championships from 1971 to 1973... |
Japan Golf Tour wins (6)
- 1981 Sapporo Tokyu OpenSapporo Tokyu OpenThe Sapporo Tokyu Open was a Japan Golf Tour event from 1973 to 1998. The tournament was played in June on the Sapporo Kokusai Country Club from 1975...
- 1985 Dunlop International Open
- 1991 Ube Kosan OpenUbe Kosan OpenThe Ube Kosan Open was a golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour from at least 1973 to 2001. It was played the Ube 72 Country Club in Yamaguchi.-Winners:Ube Kosan Open*2001 Dean Wilson*2000 Keiichiro Fukabori*1999 K.J...
- 1992 Jun ClassicJun ClassicThe Gene Sarazen Jun Classic has been a golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour from 1977 to 1999. It was played at the Jun Classic Country Club and the Rope Club in Tochigi prefecture .-Winners:Gene Sarazen Jun Classic*1999 Hajime Meshiai...
- 1993 Mitsubishi Galant Tournament, Daiwa KBC Augusta
Other wins (8)
- 1984 King Grapes Classic (Japan)
- 1985 Korean Open
- 1989 Mercuries Taiwan MastersMercuries Taiwan MastersThe Mercuries Taiwan Masters is an annual golf tournament on the Asian Tour. It was founded in 1987 and has been and Asian Tour event since 2000.-Winners:*2011 Lu Wei-chih - *2010 Pariya Junhasavasdikul - *2009 Lin Wen-tang - *2008 Lu Wen-teh -...
, Chang Hwa Open (Taipei), ROC PGA Championship (Taipei), Chang Kang Open (Taipei) - 1990 Japan Chunichi Crown Open
- 1991 ROC PGA Championship (Taipei)
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | T23 | T12 | T19 | 52 |
| U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour... |
DNP | DNP | T2 | T59 | CUT | CUT | DNP |
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP |
| PGA Championship PGA Championship The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship... |
72 | CUT | T23 | DNP | T47 | DNP | DNP |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Yellow background for top-10.