Ornnicha Konsunthea set the bar high at the 2024 KENDA Tires TLPGA Open. The Thai player was firing from all cylinders to produce one eagle, six birdies, and just one bogey to take the first-round lead with a 7-under 65.

The 11th annual KENDA Tires TLPGA Open gets underway this week at the Taichung International Country Club, a new backdrop for the NT$3-million TLPGA Tour event. The competition layout is set at 6,357 yards.
Thailand’s Ornnicha Konsunthea kept up an impressive fairway percentage in the second round of the 2024 KENDA Tires TLPGA Open, staying atop the leaderboard at 8-under 136 after shooting a second-round 71.

Chang Ya-Chun (張雅淳) shrugged off injury concerns to fire a low-round 66, climbing up into equal second alongside Babe Liu (劉嬿) at 137. Nook Sukapan used a bogey-free 68 to surge into contention as well.

First-round leader Ornnicha Konsunthea opened the day with two consecutive bogeys. “I didn’t feel the putter at the beginning of the day. I was a little frustrated to three-putt from just six feet on the first hole. And then I had a good hit onto the fairway on the second hole, but again it did not find the right place on the green,” Konsunthea recalled, when she almost squandered her three-shot lead just two holes in. “I tried to stay patient, and I made an important birdie on the fourth hole to get a bit of that confidence back. I felt I was able to swing more freely after that.”

“Yeah, I’m hoping it’s going to be my first victory on the TLPGA Tour after the last eighteen holes. But I’ll have to stay grounded, look at each hole and each shot at one time. Hopefully I can remain as calm as these past two days and we’ll see what tomorrow brings,” said Konsunthea.

Chang took a couple of months off to nurse an injury that prevented her from going full swing. However, after getting rid of the rust in yesterday’s first round, she took command of her attacking game today to produce a whopping nine birdies, which propelled her into the leading pack heading into Friday’s finale.

In fact, Chang only made one par on the first seven holes today, carding three birdies and three bogeys in the morning hustle. “I was still a little nervous, especially on the greens, because I have not played for some while,” said Chang. But once she got her groove, there was no stopping her. The 2022 TLPGA Tour Official Money Winner drained six more birdies in the rest of the day without dropping any shots and closed the day with a 66.

Babe Liu also improved from a Day-1 69 to 68 for the second round. Spending most of her 2024 season in Japan, Liu admitted it did not feel as easy as it seemed. “The grain was a bit different from those in Japan and was difficult to judge. It took a lot of energy to read and think. That said, I’m happy that my execution was quite spot on. I’ll need to keep up the good work in the final round,” Liu said, who shot six birdies and two bogeys in the second round.

Nook Sukapan needed only 27 putts in the second round today, making four birdies along the way. “My irons were on today, which was a big help. That gave me some great opportunities on the greens to work with, which I didn’t really have many yesterday.”

58 players who were at 5-over 149 or better advanced to Friday’s final round after the elimination. Tomorrow, a traditional 18-hole Senior invitational event will also be in action.

The 11th annual KENDA Tires TLPGA Open this week is held at the Taichung International Country Club, a new backdrop for the NT$3-million TLPGA Tour event. The competition layout is set at 6,357 yards.

KENDA Rubber accounts for about 80% of the world’s market share for golf cart wheels. The Changhua-based company started to provide sponsorship supports to professional golfers in 2003. In KENDA’s 50th anniversary in 2013, the first KENDA Tires TLPGA Open was staged.