Chang Tzu-Yi (張子怡) fought fatigue traveling from the LPGA’s Epson Tour and the TLPGA Tour over the past three weeks as well as the windy conditions today at the Orient Golf & Country Club to take the first-round lead at the CTBC Ladies Open on 2-under par.

“I was doing a pretty good job on and around the greens. I missed a couple of greens but I was able to make some good putts directly on the fringe and actually got some birdies from there,” Chang said, who needed only 28 putts and missed just three fairways throughout the round.

The CTBC Ladies Open is a TLPGA Tour and JLPGA’s Step Up Tour co-sanctioned event, featuring a total prizemoney of JPY30,000,000.

Chang gave credits to her mental coach Paul Dawland, who was introduced to her by fellow player and LPGA Tour champion Amy Yang, for helping her find that balance to stay competitive while having fun. “We’ve been into this partnership for three months and I’m pleasantly surprised with the happy mindset Paul already instills in me, and I believe it was key for me to keep that energy up and stay consistent in spite of the tough conditions.”

Chen Hsuan (陳萱) was brilliant with her putter all day until the final two hole, where she squandered her lead with two consecutive bogeys. “The wind was blowing so heavily. I kind of struggled to get the second shots to where I wanted. But my short game around the greens held up nicely, giving me lots of easy putts to finish,” said Chen, who needed an impressive 24 putts during her 1-under 71 first-round.

Chinese player Cai Dan-Lin (蔡丹琳) made a statement start to her first visit to the TLPGA Tour. “I believe in China we have many golf courses that are built also by the Orient operators, so actually the setting plays familiar,” said Cai, who shot a 1-under 71 as well. “The one thing that made things a bit tricky was the wind. It was bigger than I expected. But overall, I think I played an efficient game today.”

The recent ICTSI Luisita Ladies International champion, Thai player P. K. Kongkraphan was the other player in the three-way tie for second. “It was not an easy scoring day. The wind and the green speed made you feel like you were constantly trying to take control without really ever having it,” said Kongkraphan. “But I did well staying patient and just waiting for my chances instead of trying to make a lot of highlight moments, and I think which is what got me into a good position.”

Hou Yu-Chiang (侯羽薔) was still finding that touch on the greens in the opening round, committing three-putt three times on Hole 1, 7, and 10, which prevented her from going low. “I was playing some steady golf today. Some mistakes here and there kept me from a better score but it was not bad considering the conditions,” Hou said. She made 13 greens and finally carded an even-par 72 to be in equal fifth at the moment.

This week, 46 TLPGA Tour members, 44 Step-Up Tour players, as well as 18 special sponsor-invites is vying for a JPY5.4 million top prize in the JPY30 million tournament.

Several new excitements are added to the 2024 showdown, including brand new 4D and drone live broadcasting technologies, as well as an LED live score tracker on site for fans to better follow and engage in the best actions of this year’s CTBC Ladies Open.