Overnight leader Phoebe Yao (姚宣榆) shoot a 1-over 73 on day two at the GRIN Cup Ladies Open to form a three-shot lead at 1-under par 143.

Winner on Saturday will be awarded a NT$600,000 cash prize in the NT$3 million top-tier TLPGA Tour event.

Chang Ya-Chun (張雅淳), who debuted as a professional this week, sit in solo second at 2-over par. Liang Yi-Ling (梁宜羚) and Kiwi-Taiwanese Juliana Hung (洪玉霖) were another three shots adrift at 5-over par.

A group of six players were tied at 6-over, which included Tseng Chen (曾楨), Chang Hsuan-Ping (張瑄屏), Shih Cheng-Hsuan (石澄璇), Wu Chia-Yen (吳佳晏), Huang Hsiao-Han (黃筱涵), and Tai Chia-Wen (戴嘉汶).

Yao is bringing her winning form from last month at the Shizuoka Shimbun & SBS Ladies, a JPLGA’s Step-Up Tour tournament, and targeting consecutive victories at the Taiwan Golf Club this week. The 2020 runner-up made a late surge in today’s second round with three birdies on the back-nine to cement her lead.

“I didn’t start out too well. Putting tended to go a little too short. After the turn, I tried to go for it a little bit more. It worked pretty well,” said Yao, who recorded a front-nine 38 and improved with a back-nine 35. She made her first two birdies in a row on 11th and 12th, both from long range, and added a third one on the 16th from 2 feet away; she lost four shots along the way.

“Today, the pin positions were really tough, most of them were on the edge. You don’t see that much angle to work with,” said Yao. “And especially with the heat, it was a real test out there. You could easily lose your concentration and got penalized for it. Hydration is key to help keep a good focus. I was actually also sipping salted sarsaparilla to raise my energy level.” Yao needed 31 putts in the second round.

Tseng Chen and Tsai Hsin-En (蔡欣恩) shared a bonus NT$20,000 cash award for their low-round 72s. No player managed to turn in a red score on Friday.

Chang Ya-Chun had a slow start, committing one bogey on the 4th and one double-bogey on the 9th, after hitting her second shot out of bound, to made the turn on 3-over, but it was a totally different story for Chang on the inward nine.

A bogey-free second half with two birdies brought her back into striking distance to potentially win. “It got windy on the back nine, but it turned out to be a nice change because I kind of had to slow down the pace a bit and took more time between the shots, which helped me to think more thoroughly,” said Chang, who patiently overcame dangerous saves and finally earned her chances, scoring two birdies in the last three holes.

“I was trying to be more aware of my breathing rhythm. I believe if I would use it properly, I could keep a steady hitting and stay competitive,” Chang said. In fact, the pro debutant admitted she’s not at 100% physically with post-Covid symptoms. “I’m not trying to look too far ahead. I just want to take it one shot and one hole at a time, maintain a comfortable pace, and be careful not to tire myself out.”

Liang Yi-Ling made just one birdie but gave away four bogeys to sit six shots off the lead. Weaker putting performance held her back today as she needed 32 attempts on the greens. She wrapped up Friday with a disappointing 75 to slip into a tie with Juliana Hung at 5-over 149, whose topsy-turvy Friday 73 included four birdies, three bogeys and one double-bogey.

The GRIN Cup Charity Open is the fourth top-tier, open event on the 2022 TLPGA Tour. 15 senior players will also be featured in an NT$300,000 18-hole event held concurrently on the final Saturday. The winning senior takes home NT$50,000.

Charity donation raised before and throughout the tournament by GRIN, a leading membrane material manufacturer in Taiwan, will be used to endow three local organizations. To show respect and love to his wife, who has been fighting the Alzheimer′s, GRIN president Lin G-E. holds an online photo and video exhibition concurrently. The meaning of this event is also to remind people to capture and treasure their moments with their loved ones.

Tee time for the final round begin at 6:30 tomorrow. The final group will be sent off at 8:05.