Another shot adrift were Lynn Chiu (邱齡緹), Hsieh Yu-Ling (謝瑀玲), and Chien Pei-Yun (錢珮芸). The final round tomorrow will feature a final group composed of Huang, Liu, and a duo of Boys’ 12-16 leaders, while Chen will tee off in the second to last group with Chiu and the Amateur Women’s 16-25 leaders.

 

The Mercuries Life Insurance Heritage Tour is the first stop of the 2015 TLPGA Heritage Series pro-junior tournaments, in which the TLPGA pros are grouped with amateurs and junior golfers, creating an easy interaction for the passing of “heritage” between the experienced and the young prospects, for which the series of events are named. The concept is also one of the main focuses for the TLPGA to nurture future sport leaders. A field of 103 players battle out in two days for a purse of NT$600,000 with NT$71,000 going to the champion and NT$45,000 awarded to the first runner-up.

 

24-year-old Huang Hsien-Wen has finished in the top-10 in all three starts on home soil so far this year. Despite leaving with a result far from what she had hoped for, a T23 to be precise, in the first oversea event of the year – the ICTSI Ladies Open last week in Manila, Huang is back confident at the Tong Hwa Golf & Country Club.

 

“I actually could’ve gone lower. Left a couple of birdies on the course,” said Huang, having missed what could have been her sixth birdie of the day on the 18th hole from 3 feet. Her only stain on the score card is a three-putt bogey on the par-4 11th, where she took out the putter on the fringe but needed two more hits. Other than that, it was a perfect day with a 68 that includes a decent 29 putts.

 

But for Babe Liu, the putter has been a weaker link of her game for a long time, and she decided to give the left-hand-low a try. “It was a last-minute decision and it turned out surprisingly well,” said Liu, who might have found the right change she needs at the moment, taking just 28 putts in the first 18 holes she plays with the new putting motion.

 

The big-hitting Chen Meng-Chu finished tied at 69 with Liu, who played in the same teeing group today. If not for a triple-bogey, Chen could have been in the top place. “Mistake happens. I am still very happy with the way I hit the ball,” said Chen. “Sometimes it feels easier to be at the back trying to catch up than to be actually holding an advantage, but I’ll do my best tomorrow and we’ll see.”

 

Mercuries Life Insurance has been a generous supporter on the Taiwan PGA (Men’s) Tour and hosted the Mercuries Taiwan Masters for the past 28 years. This week, it marks the first time the company takes the role of the title sponsor in a TLPGA Tour event.