Taipei: The local stars dominated the opening round of the Yeangder ADT as Lin Wen-tang and veteran golfer Lu Chien-soon shared the lead on six-under-par 66 on Tuesday.
Lin, who is sponsored by the Yeangder Group, bounced back from an opening bogey with seven birdies as he tied with the 53-year-old Lu, who won a senior’s golf tournament on home soil last week.
Hsu Mong-nan of Chinese Taipei, bidding to maintain his runner-up position on the ADT Order of Merit to earn a 2013 Asian Tour card, was a further shot back at the US$120,000 season-ending ADT event.
Hsu was tied with 20-year-old Hung Chien-yao and Sung Mao-chang at the National Garden Country Club, which is hosting its second ADT event after the Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship in August.
Local hero Lin, who has won five Asian Tour events in his illustrious career and one ADT event in 2010, hopes to return to the winners’ circle at the Yeangder ADT to boost his confidence ahead of the three remaining Asian Tour events.
With a hot putter in tow on a slightly foggy day, Lin sank 27 putts highlighted by a monstrous 36 footer birdie putt on hole 14.
“I’ve never putted as good as I did in a long time! It was a very good round. I struggled with a back injury earlier this year but my body felt very good today. I’m confident of getting a good score if I can continue to putt like how I did,” said Lin.
Hsu has much to play for at the Yeangder ADT as he aims to erase his runner-up finish at the Ballantine’s Taiwan Championship on the same venue with a victory. Should he win, he will overtake Jay Bayron at the peak of the Order of Merit as the Filipino leads by slightly over US$3,900.
“I’m feeling great. My irons have been working to my advantage and I’m thinking about my Asian Tour card now. I played well here and this course seems to suit my game,” smiled Hsu.
Bayron, a three-time ADT winner, cut a forlorn look after shooting a 71 as he is not taking his lead on the Order of Merit for granted.
“This is so important to me. I’m quite comfortable at the top of the Order of Merit but I must not be overconfident. If I miss the cut, there’s a slim possibility that I will get kicked out of the top three positions. I do not want to take that risk,” said Bayron.
Brian Locke of the United States, who won his first ADT title in Malaysia a fortnight ago, is eyeing to grab third position on the Order of Merit, which is the last slot which players need to finish in to earn an Asian Tour card for next season.
He shot a 68 and is keeping his eye on the prize as he aims to win a second ADT title. “I just need to win. I have a chance to claim the third position on the Order of Merit. I need to win and hope the other players missed the cut or get a bad result,” said Locke, currently 12th on the Merit list rankings.