Chen Tze-ming

Chen Tze-ming is a Taiwanese professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Asia Golf Circuit, Asian Tour and the European Tour. In the U.S., he is often referred to as T.M. Chen. His younger brother, Chen Tze-chung, is also a professional golfer who has won tournaments on the Japanese, Asian and American tours.
For his country, Chen represented Taiwan at the 1974 Eisenhower Trophy, a world amateur team tournament, and then again in 1976, playing with his brother as Tze-ming posted the lowest individual score at +1. Chen also represented Taiwan as a professional in the 1979 World Cup, and in 1985 and 1994 at the Alfred Dunhill Cup tournament, a country-based team golf competition, again playing alongside his brother.

Early life

Chen was born in Linkou District, Taipei City, in northern Taiwan. His grandfather farmed the land that would become the Linkou International Golf Club and his father worked as a greenskeeper at the club. Picking up golf at a young age, his younger brother Tze-chung then followed Tze-ming and picked up the game in his teens, with the brothers often playing together on tour and together in team competitions for Taiwan over their careers.

Professional career

Chen gained early notice at the 1978 Malaysian Dunlop Masters, winning by a record 15 strokes, but due to his amateur status, runner-up Simon Owen took home the prize money. Chen turned professional later that same year. As a professional, he won nine tournaments on the Japan Golf Tour, with four of those victories coming in 1992 when he finished third on the end of year money list. His best finish in a major golf championships|major] was a tie for 3rd in the 1985 PGA Championship, with a stellar final round 65. Of note, the Chen family dominated the final round as the second highest score belonged to his brother Tze-chung, who shot a 66 and finished tied for 23rd.
Tze-ming also won seven times on the Asia Golf Circuit and topped the tour's Order of Merit in 1985. As a senior, Chen won the 2002 Japan PGA Senior Championship.