TLPGA 2021 Money Leader Wu Chia-Yen (吳佳晏) kicked the speed up in the second round of the Party Golfers Ladies Open. The 17-year-old talent fired a bogey-free 8-under 64, lifting her lead to a prominent 9-shot.

It would be her second Party Golfers Open title should Wu win on Friday, after winning the 2018 edition, and it would be her third TLPGA Tour victory in the 2021 season. Wu was a three-time TLPGA Tour winner in her first season as a pro in 2020.

She’s now sitting at 13-under 131, nine shots clear of Tsai Hsin-En (蔡欣恩), who shot a 4-under 68 to climb up into solo second.

Wu recorded her season’s low-round of 64 in April during the TLPGA Future Challenge event, and now she’s repeated the feat in the second round today at the Party Golfers, coincidently both on the Lily Golf Course. And it marks her personal record of most birdies in one single round with 8. (She scored 4 birdies and 2 eagles in her 64 at the Future Challenge.)

“I wasn’t really getting into the game until the back nine yesterday, but I was quickly in the zone today,” said Wu, who started the day sinking two birdie putts in a row. “If my putter settles, and the first birdie goes in, I usually play pretty well the rest of the day.

She showed her great stamina and ability to make a late charge again by picking up five shots in the last seven holes, almost as good as on Wednesday when she earned five shot in six holes. “64 is a personal-best, but I was really close to going even lower. I believe on the par-3s, I had a couple of putts that kissed the lip of the cup but didn’t fall. They would’ve made a big difference,” Wu said.

Wu managed to hit 13 fairways, all 18 greens, needing only 29 putts, in an almost flawless round, which set up another potential record of her biggest winning margin. The record sits at 7 shots while she’s leading by 9 with eighteen holes to go.

Tsai Hsin-En made 0 putt on the 11th with a chip-in birdie from 16 yards away; she totaled just 27 putts on Thursday and finished on 4-under 140 after a second round 68, which included five birdies and one bogey.

Tai Chia-Wen (戴嘉汶) will be playing in the last flight in the final round alongside Wu and Tsai. She carded an even-par 72 with three birdies and three bogeys to sit lone in the third place at 141. “Wasn’t the greatest day with a little bit of confusion with the distance off my irons. It seemed to always fall in-between-clubs for me,” Tai said.

Huang Ting-Hsuan (黃亭瑄), Lai Yi-Ting (賴怡廷), Erica Huang (黃郁評), and Lee Hsin (李欣) were in a four-way tie for fourth. Wang Li-Ning (王莉甯) stayed in the top-3 through seventeen holes but dropped three shots on the 17th hole alone, sliding down to T8 at 143.

Huang won the low-amateur title in the recent Wistron Ladies Open, and now she looked determined to relish the honor. She needed just 26 putts in the second round, 10 shots better than the first round, which helped her to post an impressive 6-under 66. “10 is a huge improvement. I made the right decision to change back to an old putter that used to travel with me. I’m proud of how quickly I could adapt my game.,” Huang said.

51 players at 155 or lower moved into Friday’s final round after the 36-hole cut.

47 professionals, alongside 23 amateurs, are in this year’s Party Golfers Ladies Open in hopes of adding the NT$3 million event title to their resume which is worth NT$550,000. The backdrop this week is the Lily Golf & Country Club, which hosted the TLPGA Tour players in the 2021 season for the second time after August’s YICHEN Heritage Tour.