TLPGA Tour titlists Chen Yu-Ju (陳宇茹), Chang Hsuan-Ping (張瑄屏), and Shih Cheng-Hsuan (石澄璇) sit tied atop the leaderboard after carding first-round 72s at the BNP PARIBAS & TLPGA Heritage Tour, a 36-hole TLPGA “Heritage Tour” series event. Rookie pro Lin Yi-Hui (林怡潓) is in solo fourth at 1-over 73.

Chen Yu-Ju had an incredible turnaround here on Day 1 at the Ta Shee Golf Club. She recovered from being 5-over through just four holes, after a bogey on no.3 and double-bogeys on no.1 and no.4, to going back at even, birdying half of the remaining fourteen holes.

Rainy conditions with sudden downpours made the situations difficult for the players. The game had to be brought to a brief stop for the staff to clear the growing puddles on the greens on the final holes.

“The rain was coming down pretty heavily, made things very tricky. I never really felt comfortable out there,” said Chen, who, after the woeful start, drained her first birdie from 9 feet on the par-5 5th and began her comeback with some impressive putting. She finished the round with just 29 putts.

Chen lost her seeded position on the Korea LPGA Dream Tour after last season, as her schedule was derailed by COVID restrictions over the past couple of years. “It’s frustrating because you’ve worked so hard to get the status, and now you don’t even have a fair chance to defend it because for the pandemic. But it is what it is. I’ll just have to keep getting better and try to win the tour card again,” Chen said.

Chen, a 5-time TLPGA Tour winner, will be competing at the KLPGA Tour Qualification Tests at the end of this year.

Chang Hsuan-Ping, who also endured a slow start with a water penalty and a double-bogey on the par-3 2nd hole, scored her third birdie on the final hole to move into the tie for lead at even par. Highlight of Chang’s day was a 12-foot chip-in on the 4th.

“I felt like I left a couple of 3 or 4-footer out there, but overall, I’m feeling pretty confident,” said Chang. She hit 9 fairways, 10 greens in regulation, and needed only 27 putts in the first round.

Shih Cheng-Hsuan, with a comparatively calm and consistent round of golf, made two birdies and two bogeys to join the lead at even par.

Shih’s iron game, which started to find the target after the turn despite worse weather conditions, created plenty of chances for the Yilan native, but she did not convert them well, needed 30 attempts on the greens.

Lin Yi-Hui, who joined the pro league after passing the TLPGA Tour qualification event in April, registered a 38-35, 1-over 73 to occupy solo fourth place.

Starting on the tenth hole, Lin made the turn at 1-under, but dropped two shots on her back nine.

Lin Shan-Wei (林善葳) turned in a 2-over 74 to sit in solo fifth within striking distance.

The event was played on the East Course and Central Course at the Ta Shee Golf Club, with the layout set at 6,235 yards this week. “Preferred lies” adjustment was allowed today in the rainy conditions.

This week, 28 TLPGA Tour golfers are competing through 36 holes for a total prize of NT$600,000 in the “Heritage Tour” pro-junior series, where 49 amateur and junior players are also in the field. The BNP PARIBAS began its sponsorships for the TLPGA Tour tournament since 2016.