Wang Li-Ning (王莉甯) fired a 4-under 68, comprised of six birdies and two bogeys, to take the half-way lead at the 36-hole YTS & SUNCITY Heritage Tour.

Only four players managed to overcome the humid heat and break par today at the Suncity Golf Club. Lee Tai-Ling (李黛翎) and Wu Yi-Ching (伍以晴) turned in matching 70s to sit in a tie for second. Shih Cheng-Hsuan (石澄璇) kept herself in striking distance at 1-under 71.

The Heritage Tour event, co-sponsored by the YTS Technology, is held at the Suncity Golf Club for the sixth straight year, providing an increased total purse from NT$600,000 to NT$800,000. The YTS Group is one of the top suppliers in the airtight window market in Taiwan.

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.

The big-hitting Wang Li-Ning showed with scorching start on Wednesday, in the hot weather. She birdied Hole 2 and 3 and added another pair of birdies on the par-5 6th and 9th to conclude her front-nine in the lead at 4-under. Despite a temporary lost of concentration with a three-putt bogey on the 10th and a miscued chip shot that led to another bogey on the 14th, Wang quickly bounced back with consecutive birdies again on Hole 15 and 16 to become the lone player to finish the round in the 60s.

“The fairways are fairly tight here at the Suncity. But I felt great on the tee today, pretty stable,” said Wang. “So, if I could make it on the fairways, my distance could help me to have a nice view on the hole. I got plenty of opportunities to work with.”

“I kind of lost the speed a little on the greens after the turn, and I got a little hot-headed. So then after the bad putt and my second bogey on the 14th, I told myself to hit harder no matter what, and it worked right away. I needed just one putt on the next two holes.”

Still in search of her first victory after eight years on the TLPGA Tour, Wang said she would try to take it as “just another round” tomorrow. “I would usually have one bad round every time and that pretty much ended my winning hope. I hope now I can keep up the good feel on the tee, just as today, and close this week strongly,” Wang said.

Lee Tai-Ling also got off to a hot start with a chip-in on the 2nd hole to open her birdie count. Lee arrived the turn just one shot behind leader Wang but the energy dropped on the back-nine, as she failed to pick up any birdie, while dropping one shot on the 12th.

“I was pretty happy with my round, still. Some great touch with my irons,” said Lee, 2017 Kaohsiung Heritage Tour winner. “It was tough to stop the ball on the greens. The point tomorrow in the final round would be extra attention on the approaches, to not overhit them.”

Tied for second, Wu Yi-Ching’s first round went in reverse fashion. She began the day with two bogeys on the outward nine but scored her second and third birdie right after the turn on no.10 and 11. She ended up making five birdies to just three bogeys. “I was playing well around the greens. I gave myself a lot of chances within six feet. The putter held up well, too,” said Wu, who needed just 26 putts.

Wu is seeking her first win after turning pro in 2015.

The TLPGA Pro Test is held concurrently this week at the Suncity. Players who can make themselves 12-over or better after 54 holes will gain official TLPGA memberships. Chen Ling-Chieh (陳伶潔) impressed the field with a first-round 4-under 68.

Hole-in-one prize of a YAMAHA Vinoora motorcycle, worth NT$81,000, is still up for grab on the 12th hole.