Shih Huei-Ju (石惠如) of Taiwan finished the opening round 1-under 71 under the scorching sun of Hsin Chu Golf Country Club to take the lead of the Technology Cup by one stroke to Thailand’s Saruttaya Ngam-Usawan, who fired 5 birdies today, 3 in a row from Hole 7 to 9, but suffered also 5 bogeys.

Defending champion Tiranan Yoopan hit a 2-over 73 and is currently tied for fourth with Taiwanese Hsu Wei-Ling (徐薇淩) and Cheng Shi-Chia (程思嘉).

It was not an easy day as the players had to combat a 35oC weather. Only one of them managed to card an under-par score, which put her on top of the leaderboard.

Shih made a 12-yard chip-in birdie on Hole 6 and another nice birdie on 9th from a 15-foot distance; overall 5 birdies for the day. “I have a good feeling for the weekend with this kind of opening. I came as second last year and I hope I can do even better this time,” said the first-round leader Shih.

Shih’s struggled with her elbow after her victory 16 months ago right after her victory at the TLPGA&Royal Open. It certainly took her a while to have overcome it, and much to her surprise, she found herself in an even better shape after she’s been practicing a new swing to release the pressure off her elbow. “My elbow was feeling a lot better and my driving was great today,” Shih said. “I think I hit a lot of fairways, which is how I didn’t face much trouble.”

Ngam-Usawan is one-shot behind Shih at even-par. The new-comer showcased an aggressive play and some nice putts to grab 5 birdies; however, she also made as many mistakes. Her compatriot and the defending champ this week, Yoopan, shot 74 with only one real mistake when she dunked the ball into the sand on par-3 15th, and needed another two strokes to get the ball back to the greens. Yoopan left with a double-bogey on the hole, making her trail after Day 1 by a 3-shot margin.

Second round play begins at 7 tomorrow, with only the top 50 players on the board can make it through to the final round.