Former Asian Tour champion Chan Shih-chang of Chinese Taipei carded a four-under-par 67 to take a one-shot halfway lead at the Ambassador ADT Open, where patience and a polished short game continued to prove the keys to success on the demanding Taipei Golf Club layout.

Chan moved to four-under-par 138 after producing the joint lowest round of the day, one stroke clear of compatriot Shen Wei-cheng, who battled through physical discomfort to card a three-under 68.

The experienced Chan, a five-time Asian Tour winner and six-time Asian Development Tour champion, credited his short game after needing just 23 putts during a round highlighted by an eagle at the par-five 16th, where he holed a 58-degree wedge from 42 yards.

Knowing how difficult the greens had played throughout the opening two rounds, Chan said he focused on leaving himself straightforward chips and converting one-chip, one-putt pars whenever possible.

Shen admitted his second round became a battle after he began feeling weak midway through the inward nine.

Shen, Wei-cheng of Chinese Taipei pictured in action on July 15, 2026, during Round Two of the Ambassador ADT Open played at Taipei Golf Club, Taoyuan, Taiwan.

Despite struggling physically, the Chinese Taipei player concentrated on finding fairways and the middle of the greens rather than chasing birdies, limiting mistakes to remain firmly in contention.

Defending Ever Glory ADT Open champion Nathan Han of the United States and Malaysia’s Shahriffuddin Ariffin shared third place on two-under-par 140 after rounds of 70 and 71 respectively.

Han said patience had been his greatest ally during two demanding days on a course where even short putts had become a challenge.

“It’s been a battle these past few days,” said Han. “The scores are high and the course is playing very hard, so it’s really easy to get frustrated. I feel like I’ve been doing a good job staying patient.”

He added that the greens had tested every player in the field.

“A lot of short putts are being missed. Everyone’s going to miss short putts, it’s just how it is. As long as you keep hitting good putts, that’s all you can really do.”

Nathan Han of the USA pictured in action on July 15, 2026, during Round Two of the Ambassador ADT Open played at Taipei Golf Club, Taoyuan, Taiwan.

Shahriffuddin, who shared the overnight lead, recovered from an early stumble to remain well placed entering the weekend.

“This golf course is very mental and very tough from the tee,” he said. “The greens are also very tough, so I just tried to keep my ball in play.”

One of his best recoveries came at the 12th after finding trouble off the tee, eventually limiting the damage with an excellent recovery that saved valuable strokes.

India’s Kartik Singh and Chinese Taipei’s Su Ching-hung shared fifth place on one-under-par 141 after rounds of 69, alongside Singapore’s James Leow, Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wei and overnight leader Ryo Noro of Japan, who slipped back after a second-round 73.

Australia’s Darcy Brereton matched Chan’s 67 to produce one of the rounds of the day, climbing into a share of 10th at even-par 142 with Thailand’s Runchanapong Youprayong and Suteepat Prateeptienchai, Chinese Taipei’s Wang Wei-hsuan and Yang Hsiao-che, and Japan’s Shori Ishizuka.