Chan surges into three-way tie for lead with 65 at Taifong Open

Changhwa, Chinese Taipei, August 17: Chinese Taipei’s Chan Shih-chang fired a sparkling seven-under-par 65 to storm to the top of the leaderboard with countryman Tsai Chih-huang and Japan’s Shohei Hasegawa at the halfway stage of the Taifong Open on Friday.

Chan, a five-time Asian Development Tour (ADT) winner, kept local hopes alive when he traded nine birdies against two bogeys to shoot his best round for the year at the US$160,000 event held at Taifong Golf Course.

First-round leader Tsai maintained his position atop the leaderboard following a 70 to share the lead with Chan and Hasegawa (69) on an eight-under-par 136 total. Local veteran Lin Wen-tang (68) was among the three players tied in fourth-place, a further two shots behind.

The 32-year-old Chan, notched four birdies to turn in 32. He posted another birdie before dropping his first shot on hole two due to a three-putt.

The 2010 and 2014 Taifong Open champion, recovered brilliantly with two consecutive birdies before dropping another shot on hole six and grabbing two more birdies on his way home.

“I three-putted on hole two because I misread the line and didn’t take enough of a break. But I wasn’t too affected by it and birdied the two holes after. On hole six the wind was swirling and I just misjudged the direction so I didn’t take enough club and I missed the green on my approach.

“I played really well today and made a lot of putts. This is my best score I’ve played all year. It was windy today but I was striking my irons well and I hitting my driver straight so it put me in a good position on the fairway,” said Chan, who only missed three greens.

Compatriot Tsai stayed bogey-free in his first 14 holes before making a triple-bogey on hole six where he hit his tee shot out-of-bounds.

“I felt a little rushed in the second nine because we were playing a little slow. On hole six I made a triple-bogey because I rushed my swing and hit my drive out-of-bounds on the right side. But I had a strong finish with two birdies on holes eight and nine,” said Tsai, who holds two Asian Tour wins.

The 25-year-old Hasegawa, who currently sits in third place on the Merit rankings, hopes to ride on his good form into the weekend rounds as he chases his second ADT win of the season.

“Today was another solid round, nothing too special, just hitting fairways and making greens. It was a slow start in my first nine and I wasn’t hitting it close enough to make birdies. I dropped a shot on hole 16 because I pushed my tee shot right and had a difficult approach to the green. But I knew the two holes (17 and 18) were easy holes so I took advantage of that.

“It’s exciting being on top of the leaderboard and playing well again. Tomorrow’s going to be an important day and I just want to keep the momentum going into the weekend,” added Hasegawa who won his maiden ADT victory at the OB Golf Invitational in March.

Defending champion and reigning ADT Order of Merit champion Pannakorn Uthaipas of Thailand, battled to a 74 to take tied-49th.

The halfway cut was set at one-over-par 145 with 56 players advancing to the final two rounds.

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 second round scores:

136 – TSAI Chi-huang (TPE) 66 70, Shohei HASEGAWA (JPN) 67 69, CHAN Shih-chang (TPE) 71 65

138 – WANG Tsung-chieh (TPE) 67 71, HUNG Chien-yao (TPE) 70 68, LIN Wen-tang (TPE) 70 68

139 – Pavit TANGKAMOLPRASERT (THA) 67 72, Jesse YAP (SGP) 70 69, WANG Wei-lun (TPE) 68 71, Han LEE (USA) 70 69, HUNG Chun-kang (TWN) 68 71, Piya SWANGARUNPORN (THA) 69 70

140 – Sangpil YOON (KOR) 71 69, LU Wei-chih (TPE) 71 69, Wisut ARTJANAWAT (THA) 71 69, HUANG Chi (TWN) 69 71

141 – LIN Wen-hong (TPE) 71 70, Masaru TAKAHASHI (JPN) 71 70, YEH Yu-chen (TPE) 71 70, Kazuki HIGA (JPN) 69 72, KOH Deng Shan (SGP) 70 71, Justin DE LOS SANTOS (USA) 71 70, Sam CHIEN (USA) 71 70, Marcus BOTH (AUS) 71 70, Jakraphan PREMSIRIGORN (THA) 70 71, Natipong SRITHONG (THA) 69 72, Chaiphat KOONMARK (THA) 71 70

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.