Shih Cheng-Hsuan (石澄璇) moved from equal seventh to the top of the leaderboard after carding a 6-under 66 today in the second round of the inaugural Taiwan Prosperity Ladies Open. The Taiwanese shot one eagle, five birdies, and one bogey to sit at 7-under 137, heading into the final round with a one-shot advantage over recent WPG Ladies Open champion P.K. Kongkraphan.

Kongkraphan, who will be looking for her third victory in the 2024 TLPGA Tour season, registered a 68 to rise into solo second at 138.

Overnight co-leader Harumi Yoshikuwa fell into solo third at 5-under 139, while Lee Hsin (李欣), who shared the first-round lead, carded a 1-over 73 to drop into a tie for fourth with Thitapa Pakdeesettakul of Thailand at 141.

Dealing with a sore back, Shih stuck to a more conservative game plan with the sole aim of keeping the ball in play. Her wonderful precision, however, gave her a great shot at Friday’s crown. She missed just one fairway the entire day at the Wu Fong Golf Course, while hitting an impressive fifteen greens in regulation.

“I haven’t been feeling 100%, so I just tried to play pretty much percentage golf. But, yeah, I was doing amazing today. Great, consistent golf and I did not have too much ups and downs,” said Shih, who carried her second shot from 214 yards to just 5 on the par-5 12th, and scored a rare eagle to well make up for her bogey a couple of holes earlier which proved to be her lone blemish on the second-round score card. She needed just 28 putts.

Five-time TLPGA Tour winner Kongkraphan switched to aggressive putting mode on Thursday, needing just 27 attempts on the greens to move to just one stroke off Shih’s lead. Long driving and sensational iron control set up nicely for some easy opportunities. “I was really happy with the way I seek the pins. The birdie on the 18th was like a cherry on the cake. It was not an easy hole, but I’m proud I was able to finish it with a birdie the second day in a row, especially with how far I was attacking the green. I honestly did not expect to make birdie from that position, a good 160 yards away, which I believe would give me a lot of confidence and momentum going into the final,” the Thai player said.

Japan’s Yoshikuwa wrapped up the day with a disappointing 71 with two birdies and three bogeys. “I had a pretty slow start. I felt a little better only after the turn,” said the first-round co-leader. “I’m not the longest hitter out there so I’ll have to play to strategies. I’m going to stay here a little longer to get some more practice for the final round.”

Lee Hsin also dropped the lead after an error strewn 73. She sprayed her second shot on the 10th hole into a green-side sand trap and needed another three shots to finally left the hole with a double-bogey. “I wasn’t too sharp off the tee today. And Wu Fong has pretty narrow fairways. It’s not the most enjoyable day when these two come together,” said Lee, who is now tied with Thailand’s Pakdeesettakul with four strokes off the lead. Pakdeesettakul, who recorded a 69, is in her first full TLPGA Tour season.

63 players at 151 or better advanced into the final Friday after the 36-hole cut. The winner tomorrow will make NT$540,000 in this NT$3-million event.

This week the TLPGA Tour travels to Taichung, Taiwan for the very first time in tour history and witnesses a new title-sponsor, Taiwan Prosperity Development join the big family. The competition layout at the Wu Fong Golf Course, which sits near the famous scenic spot Jiujiu Peak, is set at 6,248 yards long. Hole-in-one prizes from Departure, SAMPO, EAGLE Golf, and BESV E-Bike are up for grabs on Hole 2, 4, 13, and 17. The field will be cut to the top-50 and ties after tomorrow’s second round.