The TLPGA Tour returns into action this week at the Lily Golf & Country Club. The third annual YICHEN Heritage Tour welcomes 46 local pro elites, who competes for a NT$600,000 purse, as well as 58 amateur and junior players. In the “Heritage Tour” event format, the amateur and junior players are paired with the professionals, so the young ones can closely interact with the best players and pick up valuable learning experience.

Chang Ching-Ling (張靖翎) took the half-way lead after carding a 5-under 67 on the first 18 in the 36-hole tournament. She hit 10 fairways and 11 greens in regulation, converting six birdies and dropping with an only bogey on the par-4 12th.

Chang carried an incredible putting feel throughout Tuesday, needing just 23 attempts on the greens. Her longest birdie putt rolled 20 feet, on the 17th hole. She was sharp with her drivers and particularly irons as well. A chip-in from 17 yards on the par-3 6th was one of the highlight plays.

Wu Chia-Yen (吳佳晏) sit one shot behind Chang with a first-round 68. The 2021 TLPGA Money winner displayed her top-notch precision game, attacking the greens beautifully. Her five birdies all came within easy distance; she gained three birdies out of four par-3s. Still, the teenager has a lot more to ask for in herself tomorrow. “I had pretty good direction control overall, but not so great with the distance, which I’ll have to fine-tune a little bit,” said Wu.

Wu minimized the damage after she miscued her tee shot on the 5th hole, which flew out of bounds and cost a one-shot penalty, closing with a 30 feet long putt for bogey, her lone blemish on the scorecard. She needed 25 putts in the first-round.

With an impressive eagle play on the 14th, Lee Chia-Pei (李佳霈) occupied solo third place at 3-under 69. She missed just three fairways. A decent 14 greens in regulation helped her score four birdies, as well as one eagle on the 14th, where she used her 3-wood to carry the ball from 205 yards to just 15 feet.

The YICHEN Heritage Tour was sponsored by WIN Semiconductors and some supportive, amateur individuals who have been taught by, and are now friends with TLPGA Chairwoman Liu Yi-Chen, a former golf professional. The event was rescheduled last year to August due to pandemic concerns.

The first annual YICHEN Future Open was a TLPGA Tour Futures-tier, 54-hole event, giving junior prospect Hou Yu-Chiang (侯羽薔) a final push to clinch the top ranking in the world with her champion points.