16-year-old Wu Chia-Yen (吳佳晏) started slow but finished strong with three birdies on the back nine to overtake the lead at 8-under after two rounds at the WPG Ladies Open. The recent Nan Pao Heritage Tour winner will look to take back-to-back victories on Thursday with a two-shot advantage.

It will be Wu’s first victory in an official 54-hole TLPGA Tour tournament should she win tomorrow. (The Nan Pao event was under a 36-hole pro-junior format.)

Overnight leader, Japan LPGA Tour member Phoebe Yao (姚宣榆) struggled to make a move after bogeying the first hole at the Sunrise Golf Club and picked up her only shot not until the 17th hole to close the day at even-par. “I often tend to go down one shot on the first hole. Sometimes I do feel like I earned a shot if I make par,” Yao joked. “I was kind of loose today knowing I had a pretty good first round. I’ll have to be more careful in the final round to hopefully get back to the intensity level from day one.”

Wu, who also started the day with a bogey on the fourth hole, turned the momentum quickly with a birdie on the next. With Chen Szu-Han (陳思涵) birdieing the sixth, Yao, Chen, and Wu were briefly tied for the lead but the teenager made a run after the turn, scoring a pair birdies on the 10th and 11th to take the outright lead. Wu pocketed another birdie on the 17th to turn in a 69.

“I was patient enough although it wasn’t the most ideal start,” said the rookie pro. “I was really happy to stay in the top three.”

Beginning the day at 4-under par, LPGA Tour elite Hsu Wei-Ling (徐薇淩) dropped four shots in four holes from the 13th and finished the day in a tie for fifth at just 1-under. “It gave me some much-needed confidence to close the day with a birdie on the 18th, but I was pushing a bit too hard earlier in the day, and my swing was kind of off because I tried to go for some big shots,” Hsu said. “I hope I will play more relaxed and not be giving myself too much expectation.”

Birthday girl Chang Hsuan-Ping (張瑄屏) jumped from T42 to T12 at even-par 144 with a low-round 4-under 68 on Wednesday. “I was rushing a little in the first round and I just told myself to see the game more slowly and clearly today, and it was good,” said Chang. “It’s my birthday today, so it feels really special!”

A cut was made that saw 50 players at 7-over 151 or better prevailing to the final round. The total purse of this year’s WPG Ladies Open is NT$4.5 million.