Taipei: Unheralded golfer Lien Chi-wei of Chinese Taipei shot a surprising six-under-par 66 in tough scoring conditions for the opening round lead at the US$600,000 Mercuries Taiwan Masters on Thursday.
Lien opened up a four-shot lead over Filipinos Angelo Que and Antonio Lascuna, Baek Seuk-hyun of Korea, Wang Shih-jui and current Asian Development Tour (ADT) Order of Merit leader Hsieh Chi-hsien at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club.
Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wen-tang, a five-time Asian Tour winner, and Hsieh Chin-sheng, Indian star Anirban Lahiri, Australian Scott Hend, Kalle Samooja of Finland and Panuwat Muenlek of Thailand were among the 12 players who broke par with their efforts of 71.
Lien, who has been a professional golfer for 10 years with two local wins, rode on a hot putter as he made 26 putts including a 20-foot eagle putt on the par five sixth hole.
“My iron play was really good and I sank my putts. It was a really good day for me. I’ve been playing in this event for five years and this is my best score on this golf course,” said the soft spoken 37-year-old.
“This is a very difficult golf course and I’m really happy with my performance but I know it will only get tougher from here,” said Lien.
Que, a three-time Asian Tour winner, said he could have gone lower despite the challenging conditions as he found 14 greens in a round of three birdies and one bogey.
“It is a condition where you hit one bad drive or shot and the ball can end up thirty or forty yards left or right because of the wind. You got to know what you are doing. It was a straight forward round. It is possible (shooting a 66). I could have done it but missed a few four or five short birdie putts,” said Que.
Hsieh, who missed the grade at the Asian Tour Qualifying School earlier this year, felt comfortable playing at the Taiwan Golf and Country Club where many players struggled to overcome the swirling winds.
“This course is very difficult and the rough is very thick but somehow I feel very comfortable playing here. I like this golf course. The layout is very interesting,” said the 22-year-old.
After turning professional earlier this year, Hsieh enjoyed a career breakthrough at the Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship in August which propelled him to the top of the ADT Order of Merit.
“I’m feeling more confident after my win. That win really made me a better player. The ADT is very good. It is awesome because young players like me will get a chance to gain more experience,” said Hsieh.
Lahiri, currently 10th on the Asian Tour Order of Merit courtesy of one victory earlier this year, credited his battling spirit where he turned in 36 and returned with one birdie on the home stretch.
“I didn’t drop any shots on the back nine and that was the key for me. It was tough and the wind was really strong. We played in a little bit of rain early in the round. You got to grind the whole day,” said the two-time Asian Tour winner.
The Indian, who played in all four rounds in his British Open debut earlier this year, tipped his hat to the opening round leader, Lien.
“Every time we come to Taiwan the local professionals really surprise us. It makes a huge difference if you know the local conditions and 66 is a brilliant round. Hats off to Lien,” said Lahiri.
Scores after round 1 of the Mercuries Taiwan Masters 2012 being played at the par 72, 6923 Yards Tamsui Course course (a- denotes amateur):
66 - LIEN Chi-wei (TPE).
70 - HSIEH Chi-hsien (TPE), Antonio LASCUNA (PHI), BAEK Seuk-hyun (KOR), Angelo QUE (PHI), WANG Shih-jui (TPE).
71 - LIN Wen-tang (TPE), HSIEH Chin-sheng (TPE), Panuwat MUENLEK (THA), Kalle SAMOOJA (FIN), Anirban LAHIRI (IND), Scott HEND (AUS).
72 - Thitiphun CHUAYPRAKONG (THA), CHIANG Chen-chih (TPE), SIDDIKUR (BAN), Danny CHIA (MAS), CHEN Hao-sen (TPE), Adam GROOM (AUS), David LIPSKY (USA), SUNG Mao-chang (TPE), LAM Chih Bing (SIN).
73 - LIN Chie-hsiang (TPE), Chiragh KUMAR (IND), Peter KARMIS (RSA), Zaw MOE (MYN), Darren BECK (AUS), Thanyakon KHRONGPHA (THA), Prom MEESAWAT (THA), Guido VAN DER VALK (NED), Namchok TANTIPOKHAKUL (THA), LIN Keng-chi (TPE), Boonchu RUANGKIT (THA), CHEN Tze-chung (TPE), Ben FOX (USA), Sam CYR (USA), Adilson DA SILVA (BRA), Javi COLOMO (ESP), Thaworn WIRATCHANT (THA), YEH Yeou-tsai (TPE), WANG Ter-chang (TPE), CHANG Yao-pin (TPE).
By Indian Sports News Network