Yilan-native Shih Cheng-Hsuan (石澄璇), Chen Min-Jou (陳敏柔) and Chen I-Wen (陳依妏) registered leading 1-under 71s in the first round of the WPG Ladies Open.

Lynn Chiu (邱齡緹), Chang Ching-Ling (張靖翎), and amateur Wu Chun-Wei (吳純葳) shared the fourth at even-par 72. A crowded eight-way tie sit another shot away at 73. TLPGA Tour No.1 Wu Chia-Yen (吳佳晏), the tournament’s 2022 champion and 2021 runner-up, loomed three shots off the lead at 2-over 74.

Shih Cheng-Hsuan needed just 28 putts, rewarding her with three birdies, and no less importantly, saving three pars from dangerous mid-range. “The conditions were great. My driver was pretty solid, missed just 1 fairway, but my iron game wasn’t really at a high level. I hit just 11 greens,” said Shih, who had picked up some form lately fresh off a runner-up finish to Wu Chia-Yen at the YICHEN Heritage Tour last month.

Chen I-Wen scored four birdies, two of them required zero putt by chipping in from off the 14th and 17th green. She took advantage on the par-5 13 and 18 as well, but the efforts were offset by two three-putts and three bogeys.

“I’ve always been a confident chipper. But I did not putt well,” said Chen I-Wen. She needed 31 attempts on the greens. “The pins were tucked and difficult today. So even though I hit 14 greens, it was hard to convert birdies.”

Also holding the clubhouse lead was Chen Min-Jou who had four birdies and three bogeys. After finishing last year’s WPG Open, Chen tried to put in extra gym work to improve her muscle mass and core strength, which quickly reflected on the results. Chen captured her first title on the TLPGA Tour at the 36-hole Suncity Golf Camp Heritage Tour last september, but she is still seeking a victory in the 54-hole tournaments.

Chen Min-Jou played 28 putts, including one from 22 yards on the 2nd green that rolled in for birdie. A chip-in birdie was recorded from 12 yards off the 12th green.

17-year-old Wu Chun-Wei, the low amateur on day 1, was born in a sports family, where her father is a nationally elite foot-baller, and her mother plays martial arts. She picked up a golf club at 7 years of age.

Huang Yu-Ning (黃郁寧) used a 7-iron to ace Hole 2 from 162 yards away, her first hole-in-one in professional career, winning a NT$100,000 cash prize provided by WPG Holdings. However, the tumultuous round ended at 11-over 83, putting her in a tie for 69th. Only the top-50 and ties would advance to the Saturday finale.

The Sunrise Golf & Country Club plays host to 85 players in the third annual WPG Ladies Open, now a NT$10-million premier event this week.

WPG, an ESG-friendly, global-leading distributor of semiconductor components, leverage its relations in the industry, pulling in six more sponsors into the event and increasing the purse from NT$6 million in 2021 to $10 million, more than doubled when it was first held in 2020 (NT$4.5 million).

Second-round action is set to start on 7:00 a.m. on Friday.

The competition layout is 6,318 yards long. The leaders’ group is setting off at 9:00 a.m.. Hold-in-one cash prizes are up for grabs on No.2, 4, 11, and 16, presented by WPG Holdings.