Rain washed out the first day of the 2014 Yeangder TLPGA Open after half of a foot of rain poured into the Linkou lnternational Golf & Country Club on Wednesday with an occasional bolt of lightning. However; luckily, better conditions returned on Thursday and both the first and second rounds are staged, although still 65 players unfinished. Tamie Durdin of Australia lasted through the marathon to card at 2-under after 31 holes before play was suspended again due to fog.

A steady rain punctuated by heavy downpours put paid to Wednesday’s play as not one official shot was hit the entire day. The forecast didn’t improve much on the following days and the tournament had decided to attempt a 36-hole Thursday and to allow the use of golf carts in competition, while finally 27 players were able to complete their first 36 holes.

 “I think we got all of it,” said Durdin, who shot the low round of the day 69 in the morning sun with five birdies against two bogeys. “Rain, high winds, and fog were all out to get us, it was really tough. I tried to really stay concentrated on my game and I thought I got pretty good drives today that had things easier.” Players had a 90-minute break in between two rounds.

“I was hoping the weather is nicer tomorrow that I’ll be able to do my best and stay in lead,” said Durdin with a two-shot edge over the chasers, Thai rising star Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong and Korean Seung-Hee Yu, both having to play one more hole on Friday morning before the final 18.

Santiwiwatthanaphong, who won the PTT Global Chemical Thailand Ladies Open last November on her 17th birthday as an amateur and just turned pro two months ago, showed amazing hands with her putter today, needing only 29 putts and just 13 on the back nine of her 2-under 70 first round.

Another stroke adrift was 2012 winner Hsieh Yu-Ling (謝瑀玲) at solo fourth at 1-over. “To play all 36 holes in one day could be tiring. But the greens were a little softer with the rain, and I think I had a good ball-striking day with my irons so I was able to give myself some chances,” said Hsieh.

The final day will start on 6:30 a.m. on Friday for the completion of the fog-delayed second round. And then a cutline will be made at the top 50 before final round set to get underway at 9:00 a.m..

The TLPGA returns to the Linkou lnternational Golf & Country Club this week for the 54-hole Yeangder TLPGA Open with 85 players from nine countries, featuring 12 of the top 20 on the TLPGA Money List and a NT$3,000,000 purse. The winner will receive a NT$600,000 winner check.