Flawless Tsai takes the opening round lead at Taifong open

Changhwa, Chinese Taipei, August 16: Local veteran Tsai Chi-huang fired a bogey-free six-under-par 66 to grab the opening round lead by one shot at the US$160,000 Taifong Open on Thursday.

The 49-year-old Tsai, a two-time Asian Tour winner, highlighted his flawless card with six birdies to sit atop the leaderboard at the event, which is celebrating its fifth straight edition as the richest tournament on the Asian Development Tour (ADT) this week.

Thai hotshot Pavit Tangkamolprasert nailed a birdie and an eagle on his closing three holes to grab a share of second place with countryman Nirun Sae-Ueng, Tour rookie Shohei Hasegawa of Japan and local hope Wang Tsung-chieh at the Taifong Golf Course.

Tsai, who resides in Shanghai, made a fast start with three birdies in his opening five holes for an outward 33 before adding three more birdies on his way home on holes 10, 13 and 17.

“I was hitting it really well today and making a lot of key putts. I managed to hit it inside 10-feet on a lot of holes and I kept a steady tempo all day. On the second hole, I made a putt from off the green for birdie.”

“I was playing solid golf and it was nice to finish strong with a birdie on hole 17 after making the green in two shots on the par-five and left myself with a 30-footer for eagle,” said Tsai, who only missed three greens today.

Hasegawa, who currently sits in third-place on the ADT Order of Merit, rode on a hot putter en-route to a bogey-free round highlighted with five birdies.

“My putting was very good today which was a huge confidence booster. I have been struggling with my swing the past couple of months and but this week I feel like I am hitting my irons solidly and giving myself a lot of opportunities,” said Hasegawa, who claimed his maiden ADT victory at the OB Golf Invitational in March, two months after coming through the Asian Tour Qualifying School

Pavit, a record six-time winner on the ADT and a one-time Asian Tour winner, was pleased to shoot his first round in the 60s after missing two cuts in his last three starts on the region’s premier Tour.

The 29-year-old Pavit, who claimed two of his ADT titles in Chinese Taipei, rolled in three birdies before sinking a downhill 15-footer for eagle on the par-five 17th hole.  

“I haven’t been playing well leading up to this event. I went to see my coach and get my swing sorted last week and it was good. I missed only two greens today and was hitting everything close.

“It was a slow start for me. I was missing a lot of birdie putts. The eight-footer birdie putt on hole eight was the turning point for me.” said Pavit, the 2014 ADT Order of Merit champion.

Defending champion and reigning ADT Order of Merit champion Pannakorn Uthaipas of Thailand signed for a 71 to tie in 28th-place.

The leading seven players on the ADT Order of Merit at the end of the season will earn playing rights on the premier Asian Tour for the 2019 season. Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points are offered for all ADT events. The winner will earn a total of six OWGR points while the top-six players and ties earn points on a sliding scale.

Ends.

Leading first round scores:

66 – TSAI Chi-huang (TWN) 

67 – Nirun SAE-UENG (THA) , Shohei HASEGAWA (JPN) , WANG Tsung-chieh (TWN) , Pavit TANGKAMOLPRASERT (THA)

 68 – HUNG Chun-kang (TWN) , WANG Wei-lun (TWN) 69 – HUANG Chi (TWN) , Natipong SRITHONG (THA) , Piya SWANGARUNPORN (THA) , WENG Young-tien (TWN) , Hyukchul SHIN (KOR) , Kazuki HIGA (JPN) , Kasidit LEPKURTE (THA) 

70 – Jakraphan PREMSIRIGORN (THA) , Sydney CHUNG (USA) , Brett MUNSON (USA) , HUANG Hsiang-hao (TWN) , Michael TRAN (VIE) , HUNG Chien-yao (TWN) , LEE Chieh-po (TWN) , KOH Deng Shan (SGP) , Josh SALAH (USA) , LIN Wen-tang (TWN) , Jesse YAP (SGP) 

About Asian Development Tour

The Asian Development Tour was launched in 2010 with the aim of creating a career pathway for professional golfers in Asia. Sanctioned by the Asian Tour, the Asian Development Tour will ultimately create a new playing platform for emerging stars from across Asia and around the world. Through the Asian Tour Qualifying School, players will qualify for the Asian Development Tour and enjoy the opportunity to hone their games and talent through a secondary circuit in Asia. Designed in the same structure as the Web.com Tour in America and European Challenge Tour, the Asian Development Tour is a stepping stone to the Asian Tour and the exciting world of international golf. The Asian Development Tour has been structured to ensure the best opportunities for its members. The leading seven players on the Asian Development Tour will earn coveted Asian Tour cards for the following season, ensuring a proper career pathway for aspiring professionals. All ADT events receive Official World Golf Ranking points.