Chinese Taipei’s Lu Wei-chih fired a flawless nine-under-par 63 to surge into a commanding four-shot lead after the third round of the US$120,000 HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club on Thursday.

Starting the day tied for fifth, Lu produced the lowest round of the tournament to reach 15-under-par 201, opening a four-shot advantage over overnight leader Shapiyate Mako, who slipped back after a three-under-par 69.

Another local favourite, Chang Wei-lun, remains in contention in third place on 10-under-par 206 after also carding a 69.

Lu’s bogey-free round featured nine birdies as the experienced campaigner took firm control heading into Friday’s final round.

He made his move with birdies at the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth to turn in five-under-par 31 before adding further birdies at the 10th, 16th, 17th and 18th for an inward 32.

Despite the outstanding score, Lu said he remained focused on taking the course one hole at a time.

“I just tried to do my best on every hole,” he said.

He identified the sixth and seventh as two of the key moments of the day.

At the sixth, Lu holed an 18-foot putt to save par after an errant approach shot, while at the seventh he recovered from the rough to scramble another valuable par.

Lu also credited his son, Lu I-hsien, who has been carrying the bag throughout the week.

“He reads the greens very well, so having him caddie for me has been a big help,” he said.

Despite opening up a sizeable advantage, Lu insisted he would not be thinking about the title.

“I’m not thinking too much about winning. I’ll just keep taking it one step at a time.”

Shapiyate Mako of Chinese Taipei pictured in action during Round Three of the HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club in Hsinchu, Chinese Taipei. The US$120,000 Asian Development Tour event is being played from July 21-24, 2026

Mako, who began the day with a one-shot lead, battled through difficult conditions to remain alone in second place.

The Chinese Taipei player said he felt fine over the opening nine, but began to suffer from the heat during the inward half.

“I started to feel dizzy and wasn’t feeling very good, but I just tried to finish the round,” he said.

Despite feeling unwell, Mako birdied both par fives on the back nine but admitted his concentration suffered over the closing holes.

“Maybe if I had been able to concentrate better, the score could have been a little lower,” he said.

Still within striking distance, Mako said his strategy for the final round would remain straightforward.

“I’ll try to keep the ball in the fairway and on the greens, then take my chances when the birdie opportunities come.”

Chang remained five shots behind after making six birdies in his round, but a double bogey at the sixth and another dropped shot proved costly.

Chang Wei-lun of Chinese Taipei pictured in action during Round Three of the HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club in Hsinchu, Chinese Taipei. The US$120,000 Asian Development Tour event is being played from July 21-24, 2026

He also regretted missing a five-foot birdie putt at the closing hole.

“Five shots is not easy to make up, but it’s hard to say what will happen tomorrow,” Chang said. “I’ll just do my best.”

USA’s Johnny Walker climbed into a share of sixth after a five-under-par 67, racing to the turn in 31 before two back-nine bogeys slowed his charge.

Walker, who has previously competed at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club, said local knowledge had been a significant advantage.

“I’ve played this course before, so it helps because it’s kind of a funky golf course. You need to know where to hit it and where not to hit it,” he said.

Another highlight came from fellow Chinese Taipei player Tsai Tsung-yu, who recorded the tournament’s second hole-in-one in as many days when he aced the 190-yard par-three 15th with a seven-iron during a four-under-par 68. Tsai finished the day tied for fourth on nine-under-par 207 alongside compatriot Su Ching-hung.

With a four-shot cushion over Mako and five over Chang, Lu will take a commanding advantage into Friday’s final round as he bids for the HCT ADT Open title.

Main picture: Lu Wei-chih of Chinese Taipei reads a putt accompanied by his son and caddy Lu I-hsien during the third round of the HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club in Hsinchu, Chinese Taipei, on July 23, 2026. Lu fired a bogey-free 63 to lead the US$120,000 Asian Development Tour event by four shots.

Chinese Taipei’s Shapiyate Mako carded a six-under-par 66 featuring the first hole-in-one of his professional career to open up a one-shot lead after the second round of the US$120,000 HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club on Wednesday.

Starting the day tied for 19th after an opening-round 70, Mako climbed 18 places with a composed second-round performance to reach eight-under-par 136. He heads into the final two rounds one stroke clear of Japan’s Nobuaki Oda and Shunichiro Morioka, and fellow Chinese Taipei player Chang Wei-lun, who share second place on seven-under 137.

The highlight of Mako’s round came at the 155-yard par-three eighth, where he holed a nine-iron from 145 yards for the first hole-in-one of his professional career.

“It was my first hole-in-one in a professional tournament,” he said.

The 30-year-old said every aspect of his game contributed to his move into the outright lead, particularly his approach play, which consistently left him with makeable birdie opportunities.

Birdies at the fourth, seventh, 10th and 18th were complemented by the ace at the eighth, while his only blemishes came with bogeys at the opening hole and the sixth.

Shunichiro Morioka of Japan pictured in action during Round Two of the HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club in Hsinchu, Chinese Taipei. The US$120,000 Asian Development Tour event is being played from July 21-24, 2026

Mako credited his extensive experience around Hsin Feng Golf Country Club for helping him avoid trouble and plot his way around one of the more demanding layouts on the Asian Development Tour schedule.

“I’ve played this course many, many times, from my amateur days through my professional career,” he said. “I know where you can’t miss it and where the ball needs to be. Today I played very steadily and created a lot of birdie opportunities.”

Oda stayed firmly in contention after posting a two-under-par 68, while Morioka battled to an even-par 70 despite carding five birdies.

The Japanese player admitted the putter prevented him from challenging for the lead after suffering two costly three-putts.

“My driving and iron play were good today, but I couldn’t control my putting,” he said.

Despite the frustrations on the greens, Morioka still produced several highlights, including a chip-in birdie at the ninth, a two-putt birdie after reaching the par-five 14th in two shots, and a five-metre birdie putt at the 15th.

Chang matched Morioka’s even-par 70 to remain one shot off the lead, with the local player continuing to benefit from his familiarity with the course.

Chang Wei-lun of Chinese Taipei pictured in action during Round Two of the HCT ADT Open at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club in Hsinchu, Chinese Taipei. The US$120,000 Asian Development Tour event is being played from July 21-24, 2026

Nine players are tied for eighth place on five-under-par 139, including first-round co-leaders Hung Chien-yao and Tawit Polthai, while another five players sit just a shot further back on four-under 140 to leave the tournament finely balanced heading into the third round.

India’s Shaurya Bhattacharya produced the round of the tournament, a superb eight-under-par 64, to climb from five over after the opening round into a tie for 22nd on three-under 141.

After struggling on Tuesday, Bhattacharya said the turnaround came from changing his mindset rather than altering his swing.

“Yesterday I expected too much from myself because I knew it was going to be a scoring week,” he said. “Today I went onto the course with no expectations and that really helped.”

Starting on the back nine, Bhattacharya birdied his second hole to build confidence before taking advantage of the scoring opportunities on the inward half. He missed just one fairway all day, with his only bogey following that miss.

“I drove the ball really well and missed only one fairway, which led to my only bogey,” he said. “The course is demanding off the tee, so tomorrow I’ll just focus on hitting fairways and doing the same things I did today.”

With just three shots separating Mako from the group tied for eighth, another closely contested day is expected when the tournament resumes on Thursday.