Pan first Taiwanese ever to make a Presidents Cup team

Taipei, Aug. 19 (CNA) Taiwan's Pan Cheng-tsung (潘政琮) will become the first golfer from Taiwan to compete in a Presidents Cup after he automatically qualified for the international team that will compete in the event in Melbourne in December.

Pan finished seventh in the final rankings for international players that closed Sunday, earning him one of eight automatic berths on the 12-man team.

The other four players will be chosen by international team captain Ernie Els.

Pan said it was another dream come true after winning a PGA Tour title in April.

"Being able to lock down this spot, that means a lot to me," Pan said, calling his qualification the greatest honor of his life.

Pan became the first Taiwanese golfer to win a PGA Tour title in 32 years this year when he claimed the championship at the RBC Heritage PGA Tour Golf Tournament in April.

The Taiwanese who plays regularly on the PGA Tour will be one of at least four first-time players on the international team, the others being Abraham Ancer from Mexico, Li Haotong from China and Cameron Smith from Australia.

"C.T. is a newcomer and we'll do our homework to get him comfortable in the team environment and get him the right partner," Els was quoted as saying on the Presidents Cup website.

"Overall, he's got a very sound game. He manages his game very well and he's a good putter. As a rookie and a person from Chinese Taipei, it's a big deal," Els said, using the name Taiwan is often referred to in international sports competition.

The 2019 Presidents Cup will be held at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club from Dec. 12 to 15.

It will pit the top 12 players from the United States, which has dominated the competition since its inception in 1994, taking on the top 12 from the rest of the world, excluding Europe. The U.S. team captain is Tiger Woods.