Chan edges ahead as patience pays off at Ambassador ADT Open
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.
Chinese Taipei’s Shen Wei-cheng fired a seven-under-par 65 to take a one-shot lead after the opening round of the US$100,000 Ever Glory ADT Open at Dong Hua Elite Golf Club on Wednesday.
The Asian Development Tour event, being played from 8-11 July, saw the home favourite finish one stroke clear of the Philippines’ Sean Ramos and Hong Kong’s Matthew Cheung, who both opened with rounds of 66.
A group of six players share fourth place on five-under-par 67: Chinese Taipei’s Hsu Yu-cheng, Americans Nathan Han, Carson Herron and Shotaro Ban, and Malaysians Justin Chan and Shahriffuddin Ariffin.
Starting from the 10th tee in the afternoon wave, Shen quickly found his rhythm, making birdies on the 10th and 11th before adding further gains on the first, second, third, fifth, eighth and ninth holes. His only blemish came with a bogey on the sixth.
The home favourite was delighted with his opening round and credited a strong iron game and solid putting for his position at the top of the leaderboard.
“Bogey-free is always nice when you’re playing a difficult golf course like this,” said Shen. “I hit a lot of nice iron shots and holed a couple of good putts out there, so I’m very happy with my game.”
Playing in Taiwan once again also brought back good memories.
“I’ve had a lot of good finishes in Taiwan, so I guess the golf courses just suit me out here,” he said.
Sean Ramos of the Philippines pictured in action during Round One of the Ever Glory ADT Open at Dong Hua Elite Golf Club on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
One shot back, Ramos produced one of the grittier rounds of the day despite struggling from the tee. Beginning on the first hole in the afternoon wave, the Filipino opened with birdies on the second, third and fourth before consecutive bogeys on the fifth and sixth briefly stalled his momentum. He responded with birdies on the seventh, eighth, 10th, 11th and 17th to sign for a six-under 66.
“I’m very happy with my round today considering how bad I drove it,” said Ramos. “I think I only hit, at most, five fairways today. So being able to shoot 66 was really good. I did everything well today except the driver.”
Despite frequently missing the fairways, Ramos kept himself out of serious trouble.
“Thankfully, I wasn’t driving it well enough to hit the fairway, but not bad enough to go out of bounds or into the hazards,” he said. “I was able to judge my rough second shots pretty well today and I just had to make some putts.”
Cheung also posted a flawless six-under 66. Starting from the first tee in the afternoon, he made birdies on the third, seventh, eighth, 10th, 11th and 15th without dropping a shot.
Among those tied for fourth, Han continued his consistent form with a bogey-free 67. The American, who started from the first tee in the morning, birdied the first, eighth, ninth, 12th and 13th holes.
“It felt great,” said Han. “I got off to a little bit of a slow start, then I locked in and made a couple of birdies. I put myself in a good position for the next two or three rounds.”
Matthew Cheung of Hong Kong pictured in action during Round One of the Ever Glory ADT Open at Dong Hua Elite Golf Club on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
Herron’s round was one of the most eventful of the day. Starting from the first tee in the morning, he mixed two eagles, three birdies and three bogeys in a five-under 67. After birdies on the first and fourth and a bogey on the seventh, he eagled the par-five eighth before adding another eagle on the par-five 12th. Birdies on the 15th and 18th offset bogeys on the 16th and 17th.
Hsu matched 67 after beginning on the 10th tee in the morning, making birdies on the 10th, 14th, 17th, 18th and sixth holes without dropping a shot.
Malaysia’s Shahriffuddin Ariffin enjoyed a flying start with an eagle on the opening par-five first hole before adding birdies on the 14th, 17th and 18th in an otherwise blemish-free round of 67.
Ban recovered impressively from an early setback. After opening with a birdie on the second, the American bogeyed the fourth and sixth before responding with birdies on the eighth, ninth, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th and 17th. A bogey on the 14th saw him finish alongside the group on five under.
The second round continues on Thursday at Dong Hua Elite Golf Club, with Shen aiming to build on his one-shot advantage as the field chases the halfway lead.
Recent Comments