Taiwan’s Tsai Pei-Ying (蔡佩穎) and Japanese Naruha Miyata posted matching 5-under 67s to set the early pace at the 2019 Japan Taiwan Friendship Udon-Ken Ladies Golf Tournament in Kagawa, Japan.

Korean Han Seung-Ji, local stars Tsugumi Miyazaki, Riko Inoue were tied for third at 68. A five-way tie for sixth saw Taiwan’s Huang Ching (黃靖) in who shot 69 on Friday.

The JPY20,000,000 event, co-sanctioned by the Taiwan LPGA Tour and the Japan LPGA’s Step-Up Tour, is played at the Mannou Hills Country Club.

Tsai, a member on both tours, is now sitting second on the order of merit on the “JSU” Tour and no.1 on the TLPGA Tour money list. With only two legs to go before the 2019 JSU season ends, Tsai is almost guaranteed to return on the main JLPGA Tour in 2020, rewarding her stand-out performance on the developmental circuit in this season.

“I didn’t really find my best rhythm on the practice greens, never saw the lines clear enough, which made me a little worried before the first round started, so I tried to play a more controlled golf, and it proved to be a wise decision,” said Tsai, who made her first and only bogey today on the 11th after falling into a green-side sand trap; she made two birdies on the front nine.

“I gave it a go from 18 feet on the 13th green. It was good, and I could feel it was when my putter kicked into next gear,” Tsai said. She racked up four birdies in the final six holes to take over the lead before Miyata matched her efforts with consecutive birdies on the 14th and 15th. Miyata was blemish-free today, shooting a total of five birdies.

There will be a cut after two rounds to allow only the top-50 and ties into the final round. The one winner emerging from 108 “JSU” Tour and TLPGA Tour members on Sunday will take away JPY3,600,000.

“The layout is very long. And it is played very narrow, which gives you extra pressure on the tees. Just as what I was told, the Mannou Hills plays difficult, so I am glad with how I fared against the tough conditions, not to mention the grass types felt quite different from what we have in Taiwan,” said Huang Ching, who made three birdies, offset by one bogey resulted from a three-putt on the 17th green, to sit in equal sixth.

Recent Party Golfers’ Ladies Open champion Hsieh Yu-Ling (謝瑀玲) had a rough beginning today making three bogeys while picking up just one birdie. She’s in equal 45th at 74. Lee Chia-Pei (李佳霈), Tai Chia-Wen (戴嘉汶), and Lee Tai-Ling (李黛翎) finished day one in a tie for 52th at 75.

Nook Sukapan of Thailand, current no.1 on the JSU Tour order of merit, carded 70, which was comprised of four birdies and one double-bogey, putting her in a tie for 12th.

Second-round play begins at 7:45 tomorrow morning.

The champion on Sunday will win a sponsor slot into the Fujisankei Ladies Classic (main JLPGA Tour) and the Hitachi Ladies Classic (TLPGA Tour) in 2020, and will be sent directly into the third-stage of the JLPGA Tour qualifying event for the next season. The victor will get a year’s worth of Nishino Kinryo Japanese Sake as a bonus prize.

Special prizes up for grabs include a JPY500,000 cheque, provided by Imabari Shipbuilding, for players to ace the 17th hole in the last round, as well as a JPY300,000 cheque, provided by Nishino Kinryo, for players to eagle the 18th hole.