Chang Ya-Chun (張雅淳) fired a 5-under 67 in hot and windy conditions at the coastal 6,331 yard Tong Hwa Golf & Country Club to take the first round lead at the Da Da Digital Ladies Open. Lynn Chiu (邱齡緹) is one-shot off the pace in solo second with a bogey-free 68.

Chen Szu-Han (陳思涵) and Chen Ling-Jie (陳伶潔) were another shot adrift at 3-under par 69.

Huang Ching (黃靖), runner-up at the KENDA Tires TLPGA Open last week, continued the search for her first title in 2023 sitting in a tie for fifth after the first-round with An Ho-Yu (安禾佑), Lee Hsin (李欣), and Thailand’s Kultida Pramphun.

The NT$3-million Da Da Digital Ladies Open kicked off on Wednesday under humid heat. Despite starting off a bit shaky, Chang Ya-Chun battled her way through the unpredictable winds to snatch six birdies and make an only bogey on the 10th. “I think I tried my best not to let the wind affect me, by choosing the clubs carefully. Although the length and the on-and-off winds made it not very easy to create chances, I did pretty well when it comes to seizing them when they presented themselves,” Chang said.

Lynn Chiu made some fine adjustments to the wind and hit 13 greens in regulation today. “We got a taste of the coastal gusts yesterday at the pro-am, so I think I was well-prepared. It didn’t actually feel that bad today,” said Chiu.

Chen Szu-Han was on a roll from the start, showing amazing hands on the greens and scoring four times through just six holes. However, she couldn’t maintain the high level going into the back nine, committing two bogeys and picking up just one birdie.

“The roughs by the fairways were quite punishing. I lost a bit of concentration on the back nine, did not get close enough to the pins and kind of struggled to read the putts, which I did really well in the early morning,” Chen Szu-Han said.

On the other hand, Chen Ling-Jie was playing better and better as the day progressed. She had a flawless round bar that double-bogey on the 9th. “The wind was tough, but I tried to use it to my advantage. The 17th hole was a good example, where I hit to the left of the target and let the wind drive it to the place I wanted. It ended up bringing another birdie to me.”

Defending champion Chen Yu-Ju (陳宇茹), who grabbed the NT$540,000 worth victory with a 54-hole total score of 9-under 207 last year, make three birdies and three bogeys to sit in a tie for fourteenth.

This week’s second annual Da Da Digital Ladies Open runs through Wednesday to Friday with a cut to be made after 36-holes on Thursday. Da Da is a broadband service company in Taiwan initiated by the locally-renowned Da Feng cable company, which hopes to facilitate positive social relationships and connections through sporting events and various charitable endeavors organized by the Da Da Foundation.

The international field is comprised of 66 local elites (and amateurs), 32 from Thailand, and 4 players form Japan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia.

The second-round play will have a shotgun start at 7:00 from the first and tenth tees, with Chang, Chiu, and Chen Szu-Han to be setting off last at 9:40 tomorrow morning.