Linkou, Chinese Taipei, September 6: Local hotshot Chan Shih-chang took advantage of an opening birdie burst to sign for a flawless eight-under-par 64 and grab a share of the halfway lead at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) on Friday.

The 33-year-old Chan fired six consecutive birdies from the 10^th hole before adding back-to-back birdies on fourth and fifth to sit atop the leaderboard alongside Korean duo Yikeun Chang and Doyeob Mun on matching totals of 11-under-par 133s.

Chang and Mun, who are roommates this week, carded identical 66s to match the efforts of Chan at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club. Chan played a total of 27 holes today as he had to complete the last nine holes of his opening round in the morning where he signed for a 69.

The leading trio holds a two-shot edge over American Casey O’Toole (67), Thai-Japanese Kosuke Hamamoto (69) and local stalwart Lin Wen-tang, who fired three birdies in his closing four holes for a 68 at the US$500,000 event, which is celebrating its 10th edition on the Asian Tour.

Play was abandoned for the day at 6.17pm local time due to fading light. A total of 30 players will resume their second rounds at 7.00am on Saturday with the penultimate round scheduled to start not earlier than 9.00am.

A total of 72 players had returned to complete their opening rounds on Friday morning after four hours of play was lost due to several weather suspensions on Thursday.

The halfway cut is projected to be at one-under-par 143 where the top 65 players and ties will progress to the next two rounds.

Did you know?

• Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei is a two-time winner on the Asian Tour and a six-time winner on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
• His flawless round of 64 would mark his personal best in the event where he had played annually since 2010. He came in tied-11th last year and his best result at the Yeangder TPC is a fourth-place finish in 2013.
• Chan returned in the morning to complete the remaining nine holes of his opening round and signed for a 69.
• Chan’s opening six birdies in-a-row is also a first for the 33-year-old. His previous record was a birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie run.
• Chan enjoyed a breakout season on the ADT in 2014, when he became only the second player to win three titles in a single season on the secondary Tour. He earned playing rights on the Asian Tour for the remainder of that season after achieving the feat.
• Chan broke through on the Asian Tour at the 2016 King’s Cup in Thailand and went on to win his second title at the Diamond Cup in Japan two months later. He would end his season in a career-high fourth place on the 2016 Asian Tour Order of Merit.
• The 33-year-old Chan claimed his six ADT title at the Taifong Open last year. He shares the record of having the most wins on the ADT with Pavit Tangkamolprasert of Thailand.
• Doyeob Mun recorded the first hole-in-one this week en route to his opening 67 on Thursday. He had aced the par-three eighth hole with an eight-iron from 169 yards. It was the third hole-in-one in his career and first during a tournament.
• The 27-year-old Korean enjoyed a tied-fifth place finish at the season-opening SMBC Singapore Open, which helped him secure one of the four spots on offer to The 148th Open where he made his Major debut in July.
• Mun had made an albatross, which is the first and only one on the Asian Tour so far this season, in the second round of the Singapore Open.
• Yikeun Chang has not dropped a single shot in 36 holes at the Yeangder TPC. He is chasing for his maiden win on the Asian Tour.
• Hetopped the Asian Tour Qualifying School in 2016 in his second attempt. He missed the mark in his first attempt in 2014. Chang, however, did not manage to keep his card for 2017 as he finished 101st on the 2016 Order of Merit.
• The Korean regained his card at the 2017 Qualifying School after finishing tied-eighth. He ended the season in 48th place on the Merit rankings and kept his card for 2018.
• In 2017, Chang won his National Open for his first professional title after prevailing on the third play-off hole. That victory earned him a coveted spot at The Open at Royal Birkdale that year where he made his Major debut.
• Chang’s best result this season is a second-place finish at last week’s Bank BRI Indonesia Open, after carding a final round of eight-under-par 64.
• Kosuke Hamamoto started playing golf at the age of eight. He is a former Thai Amateur star, South East Asia (SEA) Games individual gold medalist and was part of the first Thai team to win the Nomura Cup in Malaysia in 2017.
• He was also part of Team Thailand that finished second in the Team event at the SEA Games in 2017.
• Hamamoto came through 2019 Qualifying School last December. He is making his fifth start on the Asian Tour this week and has enjoyed a top-10 finish in Jakarta last week.
• Hamamoto, whose father is Japanese and mother is Thai, is making his first appearance in the Yeangder TPC.

Linkou, Chinese Taipei, September 6: Read what players have to say following the second round of the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) on Friday.

Chan Shih-chang (Tpe) – Second round 64 (-8), Total 133 (-11)

I saw Wang Wei-hsuan had seven birdies yesterday and I thought that was really good. The greens here are very tricky. You need a lot of guessing. So I think it’s really impressive for this young man to shoot seven birdies in a row yesterday.

My driver hasn’t been good recently. I wasn’t even hitting it good in the first round. My ball keep going right so I wasn’t confident with my driver at all. But after finishing my first round, I quickly went to the range and adjusted my driver.

I was more confident with my driver in the second round. My chipping was good and I was hitting my irons well. I was able to hit it close on my first six holes today. All my birdie putts weren’t that far. I think they were all from two to three feet.

I have never started the round with six straight birdies today. I think I just broke my own record today. Before this, my record was birdie-birdie-eagle-birdie. It was a great way to start the round for sure.

I wasn’t thinking too much actually. I wasn’t trying to break any records and telling myself to try for how many birdies in-a-row. I just kept it going out there and focus on every shot. But 64 is my best round here at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club.

Doyeob Mun (Kor) – Second round 66 (-6), Total 133 (-11)

It was nice to finish with a birdie. I hit three-wood for my second shot and it landed about 20 yards from the edge of the green. I made a good chip there and birdied the hole. I hit the ball better than I did yesterday. My driver was good and I was able to hit more fairways.

I was able to hit more greens today too. That’s why I didn’t make any bogey. I missed a few birdie putts on the back nine but overall, it’s still alright. I didn’t know Chan finished 11-under. I just played my game.

I felt more confident after yesterday’s round. My game feels better than yesterday too. Nothing really stood out today. Everything was good. I had a good start to the season, making an albatross to make the cut at the Singapore Open and then I went on to finish well.

I think I just need to keep feeling good about my game and ride on the good vibes. That will boost my mental game I feel. Every time I made a bad putt, I will tell myself to forget about it. This is very important because if I keep thinking about it, I wouldn’t feel the confidence when I putt.

Yikeun Chang (Kor) – Second round 66 (-6), Total 133 (-11)

It’s the same as yesterday. I wasn’t expecting to putt well on these greens but I didn’t really miss out on short putts today. I putted pretty well the last two days. I have been hitting fairways and greens. Not really making any mistakes.

I haven’t made any bogeys in two rounds so far. I will just try and do the same thing for the next two rounds. Try to hit the fairways and the greens. You will miss some putts here because the greens are quite hard.

I figured something out with my putting from the last round in Jakarta last week so just riding on the good form coming here. I have been hitting the ball great. I have been putting well from last week too.

Most of the birdie putts were within six to seven feet. I think the rain made it easier this week. If you don’t hit the fairway, it can be very hard. The greens are pretty firm but the rain made them softer. You can attack the pins.

Same things tomorrow, I have been playing well so just aim at hitting greens and fairways and try not to make bogey. Looking forward to play with Doyeob (Mun) tomorrow. He’s my roommate this week. He’s my good friend and I know Chan Shih-chang very well too. It will be fun tomorrow.

Kosuke Hamamoto (Tha) – Second round 69 (-3), Total 135 (-9)

I came back to finish nine holes from round one this morning. I played really well on the front nine, which is my back nine of the round. I chipped in for an eagle on the fourth and made two other birdies to finish 66.

I played really solid. The goal I had for myself today is to stay as patient as possible out there and give myself as many birdie looks as I can and try to take advantage of them. I played a total of 27 holes today. Heading into round two, I was a little nervous actually.

But I guess my past learning experiences helped. I just told myself to stick to my game plan and treat every day the same, stick to my process and all. The game has been pretty solid recently. I had a good week in Jakarta last week.

I almost made a hole-in-one on the 17^th in my second round today. I missed the hole by like a foot. Playing 27 holes in a day is not easy for sure, I just tell myself to stick to the process, keep drinking water and eat some bananas along the way.

This is my first time playing here. I heard from the Thai players that the greens are tricky here and it can get really windy. It was tougher during the practice rounds with the winds I think. It hasn’t really picked up these two rounds.

You have to keep the ball low. I feel comfortable with that. My putting is good too. The green speed here is pretty similar to my home course back in Chiangmai. I will continue to do what I have been doing the first two days, stick to my processes and have fun out there.

It’s been a pretty solid season. I just have to keep knocking on the door, keep playing good golf and see what happens. My dad is Japanese and my mum is Thai. I live in Thailand but I go back to Japan every year. I can speak basic Japanese.

Casey O’Toole (USA) – Second round 67 (-5), Total 135 (-9)

It was a good round. I drove the ball really nice. It was nice to keep it going out there. I made some good saves earlier in the round, birdied all the par-fives and played solid everywhere else. Nothing spectacular but it was just solid and nice to see.

The conditions were perfect when we played yesterday actually. We didn’t really have to play in the rain at all so we were lucky. I played 29 holes today but I enjoyed it. It was nice to finish my round with some good momentum.

That was nice to be able to do that. Obviously, it was a long day but I was kind of prepared for this kind of weather here. In a good position now but it’s just halfway through the tournament, I just want to keep playing solid. I feel like I’m doing some good things and we’ll see.

Linkou, Chinese Taipei, September 5: Korea’s Doyeob Mun sank a spectacular ace en route to an opening five-under-par 67 to grab a share of the clubhouse lead on a rain-soaked Thursday at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC).

Mun, who aced the par-three eighth hole with an eight-iron from 169 yards, stood tall amid the gloomy weather conditions to set the clubhouse target alongside his compatriots Minchel Choi and Yikeun Chang, as well as local stalwart Lin Wen-tang and India’s Karandeep Kochhar.

The quintet is among the 72 players in the morning session to have completed their opening rounds at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club, where play was halted for three times throughout the day due to inclement weather, causing a four-hour delay in total.

Play was later abandoned for the day at 6.10pm local time due to fading light. All 72 players in the afternoon session will resume their round at 7.00am on Friday with the second round scheduled to start at 8.50am.

Playing partners Wang Wei-hsuan and Lien Lu-sen of Chinese Taipei are on six-under-par through 13 holes while countryman Lee Chieh-po trails the duo by two shot after nine.

Although Wang has yet to complete his round, the 19-year-old has matched the Tour’s record of most birdies made at the start of the round with his seven birdies in-a-row at the US$500,000 event, which is celebrating its 10th edition on the region’s premier Tour.

Did you know?

• Doyeob Mun aced the par-three eighth hole with an eight-iron from 169 yards. It was the third hole-in-one in his career and first during a tournament.
• The 27-year-old Korean enjoyed a tied-fifth place finish at the season-opening SMBC Singapore Open, which earned him one of the four spots on offer to The 148^th Open where he made his Major debut in July.
• Mun had made an albatross, which is the first and only one so far this season, in the second round of the Singapore Open.
• Karandeep Kochhar hails from Chandigarh. The 20-year-old turned professional in 2017 and is studying law at the Universal Law College in Mohali. He’s playing on a sponsor’s invitation this week.
• Kochhar is playing in his fourth start on the Asian Tour this season. He enjoyed a tied-12th place finish in Bangladesh in April.
• Kochhar is making his second appearance at the Yeangder TPC. He carded an opening 79 under similar conditions in his debut last year but bounced back with a second round 66 to make the halfway cut. He eventually finished inside top-15.
• Kochhar did not make the mark in his second attempt at the Qualifying School last December.
• Lin Wen-tang is one of Chinese Taipei’s most successful golfers. He holds a total of six victories on the Asian Tour, the most amongst the players from Chinese Taipei. Lin is also a two-time winner on the Asian Development Tour (ADT).
• The 45-year-old Lin claimed two top-10s last year. He came in tied-second at the Mercuries Taiwan Masters and finished tied-ninth at the Queen’s Cup 2018 hosted by Jaidee Foundation in Thailand.
• Local prospect Wang Wei-hsuan turned professional at the start of 2019. The 19-year-old claimed his first professional victory on the local secondary circuit – Three bond TPGA Challenge Tour in May. He won the tournament on his home course in Kaohsiung city.
• Wang matched the Tour’s record for most birdies to start a round when he opened his campaign with seven birdies in-a-row. He shares the record now with Thailand’s Danthai Boonma (2018 Take Solutions Masters) and Miguel Tabuena (2019 ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth) of the Philippines.

Linkou, Chinese Taipei, September 4: India’s Ajeetesh Sandhu will set his sights on a second victory at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship (TPC) when he gets his campaign underway at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club on Thursday.

The 30-year-old Sandhu, who claimed his Asian Tour breakthrough at the popular event in 2017, is thrilled to return to the scene of his memorable victory after missing the chance to defend his title last year.

Sandhu hopes his consistent play on the Asian Tour so far this season will be rewarded with a strong showing in the full-field event, which is celebrating its 10th consecutive edition on the region’s premier Tour this week.

Sandhu, who marked his best result this season with a runner-up finish in Bangladesh earlier in April, will feature in the talented 144-man field from 23 countries at the Yeangder TPC, which continues to offer a prize purse of US$500,000.

Chinese Taipei’s Hung Chien-yao has shown some great form of late, having claimed a top-five finish at the Sarawak Championship two weeks ago. The 27-year-old Hung will take aim at becoming the second local player, following Lu Wei-chih, to lift the Yeangder TPC trophy.

Lu, who enjoyed a fifth-place finish last year, is also feeling positive vibes ahead of the 2019 Yeangder TPC. Placed 53^rd on the latest Order of Merit, Lu hopes to boost his rankings with a fine showing in the event, where he won in 2011.

Newly-minted Asian Tour champion Miguel Carballo of Argentina will be looking to extend his winning form at the Yeangder TPC, where he finished tied-27^th in his debut appearance last season.

Did you know?

• Ajeetesh Sandhu claimed his Asian Tour breakthrough at the Yeangder TPC in 2017. He closed with a two-under-par 70 to win by one shot over American Johannes Veerman.
• A week after claiming his first Asian Tour title in Chinese Taipei, Sandhu went on to win the Taiheiyo Club Challenge Tournament on the Japan Challenge Tour.
• The 30-year-old Indian claimed three top-10 finishes in 2018 to finish in 28th position on the final Order of Merit.
• Sandhu came close to winning his second Asian Tour title in Bangladesh earlier in April. He closed with a second straight 65 to finish one shot back of winner Sadom Kaewkanjana of Thailand.
• Sandhu sits in 22nd place on the 2019 Order of Merit with a current haul of US$76,716.
• Hung Chien-yao of Chinese Taipei emerged as the best-placed local player after finishing in third place at the Yeangder TPC last year.
• The 27-year-old Hung missed only two cuts in eight starts. He secured a fourth-place finish at the Sarawak Championship two weeks ago. It was his best result yet so far this season.
• Hung has yet to win on the Asian Tour but has one Asian Development Tour (ADT) title which he won on home soil in 2013.
• Hung won the TPGA Championship on his local circuit for the third consecutive year in July.
• Lu Wei-chih remains the only local player to have won the Yeangder TPC since the tournament was inaugurated in 2010. He won the event in 2011.
• In 2012, Lu underwent brain surgery to remove a non-malignant tumour which put him out of action for close to a year. 
• All of Lu’s four victories on the Asian Tour have come from home soil in Chinese Taipei.
• Despite making only two cuts in seven starts so far this season, Lu took pride in his tied-eighth place result at the Asia-Pacific Diamond Cup in Japan earlier in May.
• Miguel Carballo, the 2018 ADT Order of Merit champion, secured his first Asian Tour title at the Bank BRI Indonesia Open last week.
• Prior to his breakthrough, Carballo has won twice on the ADT – 2019 Singha Laguna Phuket Open and 2018 Ciputra Golfpreneur Tournament.
• Since turning pro in 2002, the 40-year-old Argentinian has also won twice on the Korn Ferry Tour, the 2007 Movistar Panama Championship and the 2011 Children’s Hospital Classic. 
• His best year on that Tour was in 2011 when he finished 10th on the Money List securing a card for the 2012 PGA Tour, where he also played in 2014 and 2016-2017.

Linkou, Chinese Taipei, September 4: Read what players have to say ahead of the 2019 Yeangder Tournament Players Championship which starts on Thursday.

Ajeetesh Sandhu (Ind)

It’s amazing to be back here. I was just talking to my caddy Suria after playing nine holes yesterday. I could still remember every shot that I hit, all the feeling that I had when I won here two years ago. It’s really nice to come back.

The course is looking pretty similar like before. The greens, however, seems better than before. I hope the wind is up because that’s when the course will kind of shows up. I think we’re expecting storms according to the forecast.

I had a couple of good rounds last week in Jakarta. The game’s definitely trending in the right direction. It’s always nice to come back to where you won I guess. It has been a really consistent season for me so far. Came close in Bangladesh earlier.

I feel I’m close to a win again. Pretty good stretch of events coming up so hopefully it would be one of these weeks. It’s a tree-line golf course here and it really suits my eye off the tees. The greens are small so I need to work on my iron-play because I need pretty accurate lines on these greens.

It kind of rewards consistency in a way. That’s the strong part of my game. You just need to keep hitting center fairway and hitting the greens and you can give yourself a lot of opportunities for birdies.

Hung Chien-yao (Tpe)

It’s always nice to play at home. No need to stay in hotels and be away from the family. It’s nice to be able to stay at home and play a course that I am familiar with. It’s a good feeling to be back at this tournament again.

The game’s feeling good. I haven’t been practicing much (laughs). But it’s alright, I still feel confident with my game. I won’t give myself too much pressure this week. I won’t tell myself I need to do well just because I’m playing at home.

The ball is round. It’s hard to say what will happen. I just want to do my best out there and not think too much about anything else. My family will come and support me over the weekend so hopefully I can play well!

Lu Wei-chih (Tpe)

I had a good finish last year so it feels good coming back here. Always nice to play at home. I’m enjoying the home comforts for sure. It’s an important event for me definitely. But I will treat it the same like other Asian Tour events.

I did fix my swing a little bit coming into this week. Hopefully it all works out well. The season hasn’t been good to be honest. Only had one good result in Japan at the Diamond Cup. But there are still lots of golf to play. Hopefully I can put up another good showing this week.

Miguel Carballo (Arg)

It feels great coming into this week with a win. I had a good celebration with my friends on Tour in Jakarta before coming here. I received a lot of congratulatory messages from back home too which were really nice.

My family is very happy for me. I last went home two months ago, after I won the ADT event in Thailand. I wish they were here to witness. Playing on the ADT has definitely helped my game a lot. It’s a good platform to practise.

It’s my second time playing in the Yeangder TPC. I didn’t play quite well last year but I’m confident of putting up a better result this week.

I like playing in Asia. It’s only my second year here but I’m enjoying it a lot. Getting to see different courses, meeting different people and knowing different cultures, it’s been a great experience and I’m getting used to it.

Prom Meesawat (Tha)

It’s always nice to come back here. I have a lot of good memories here. It’s like coming back to my second home. I have a lot of Taiwanese friends here. I feel comfortable coming back here. I have been playing a lot of good golf since last year. I will keep knocking on the door and hopefully I’ll get the win again.

This is my fourth week in-a-row playing tournaments. I’m feeling a little bit tired but I am still alright. I played well in Japan two weeks ago so I’m hoping to replicate the good form this week. I played well in Japan last week too, just didn’t make enough putts. The game is good and I’m looking forward to this week.

This course is always windy. You got to keep the ball in play. It’s not a long course but the greens are tricky. Hopefully I can putt well this week. The current goal for me is to try and boost my Order of Merit ranking so that I can qualify for the WGC-HSBC Champions in November. I still have a good chance, just need to play well this week and in the next couple of weeks.

Viraj Madappa (Ind)

I played well in Jakarta last week. I have been playing well in patches. I started off well but sometimes I just couldn’t keep up with the momentum for the last two rounds. But I do feel good about my game right now. I have some good memories here from last year so I’m excited about this week.

This is one of the few places where I played really well outside of India last year. I could play up to my expectations, some of the holes here are pretty clear the way I play it. I do remember getting super lucky through the whole week last year too (laughs). I’m hoping for the same this week!

The season’s not been the way I wanted it to be. I haven’t played well in a whole bunch of events but I feel good about the remainder of the season. Just looking forward to this week. I haven’t really set any tangible targets for myself. I just hope to get four solid rounds in and play one round at a time. Hopefully it will lead up to something good.

I’m playing well I know. I am feeling positive. Winning last year has given me a lot of confidence in my game and I had a good experience last year touring around Asia for tournaments and getting used to everything. It’s getting a lot more comfortable this year for sure.

Yikeun Chang (Kor)

I hit the ball great in Jakarta last week. The game feels pretty good. I have been struggling off the tee. My iron shots weren’t that sharp, but everything is coming around nicely and I am actually looking to keep up this good form.

The Shinhan Donghae Open is coming up in two weeks. It’s a very important event to me so it’s good that my game is peaking now. Hopefully I can put up another good showing this week and carry on that fine form for the event.

The season hasn’t been good until last week. Finishing second in Jakarta gave me a lot of confidence. If my game can continue to progress week after week, I think I have a good chance of getting my first Asian Tour win.

Sadom Kaewkanjana (Tha)

It’s my first time here. I’m excited. Game is feeling alright. Everything is fine. I’m keeping up the confidence but I need to work more on my short game. I still need to improve on that. I finished top-20 in Sarawak and Jakarta so I’m feeling good about this week.

I am enjoying the season so far, things have been good for me since I won in Bangladesh earlier this year. I’m enjoying the game, the life as a professional golfer and all the travelling. I like the game even more as a professional actually, compared to when I was still an amateur.

It’s been a great experience so far, getting to know the different golf courses, meeting different people and understanding different cultures.