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Unheralded Hsu Chia-jen of Chinese Taipei is hoping to successfully cross the finish line first at the inaugural Ballantine's Taiwan Championship starting on Thursday. Hsu, who is one of the most consistent performers on the newly launched Asian Development Tour, is eager to sparkle on home soil at the North Bay Golf & Country Club. He is expected to face a strong challenge from Malaysia's Akhmal Tarmizee, currently ranked second on the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit, rising star Michael Tran of Vietnam, Japanese Takafumi Kawane and Australia's Richard Moir at the US$90,000 tournament.

Hsu, who missed his Asian Tour card at Qualifying School in January, is gunning for a top-three finish on the Asian Development Tour's Order of Merit which will guarantee a card on the elite Asian Tour next year. He is presently fourth on the rankings courtesy of a tied third finish at the Air Bagan Myanmar Masters in January and a tied 18th finish at the Negeri Sembilan Masters Invitational in Malaysia last month.

Like most budding golfers, Hsu is determined to use the Asian Development Tour as a stepping stone for his career.

"I feel slightly nervous playing on home soil but I have a goal this year which is to claim one of the top-three spots on the Asian Development Tour Order of Merit and I'll do my best to achieve it," said the 29-year-old.

Malaysian Akhmal, 20, has come close on several occasions but finished tied third and joint second in Myanmar and Malaysia respectively. He hopes his near misses will eventually translate into a victory.

"It was disappointing when I missed the chance to earn my Asian Tour card (he finished one stroke behind the top-40 bracket at Qualifying School) but I now have an opportunity to earn my card through the Development Tour. I'm in a good position," said Akhmal, who won the bronze medal in the Southeast Asian Games in 2007 during his amateur days.

Tran, 20, will be determined to launch a title assault in Taipei. "As a junior, I dreamt of playing on the Asian Tour and I hope to learn and become better gradually," said Tran, whose full name is Tran Le Duy Nhat.

He grew up in Ho Chi Minh city and picked up the game when he lived in New Zealand as part of a student exchange programme when he was 12. He represented his country in the Southeast Asian Games and Asian Games before taking the plunge into the professional ranks in 2008.