Japanese duo share opening-round lead at Ambassador ADT Open
Japan’s Ryo Noro and Nobuaki Oda carded matching three-under-par 68s to share the opening-round lead as Taipei Golf Club proved a much sterner test than last week’s birdie-fest at the Ever Glory ADT Open.
Only 12 players finished under par on the opening day of the US$120,000 Asian Development Tour event, with Malaysia’s Shahriffuddin Ariffin, Japan’s Shapiyate Mako and Chinese Taipei’s Yang Hsiao-che a shot further back after rounds of 69.
Noro carded a bogey-free 68 and said his driving and approach play were the strongest parts of his game, while describing his putting as only average. He also noted that the greens were slow and difficult to read, although the fine weather and light breeze helped produce a good score.
Compatriot Oda also pointed to the challenge of the greens after posting a round featuring six birdies and three bogeys. Two hole-outs, from about 10 yards and around 30 yards, proved pivotal, while he needed just 22 putts. He also identified the stretch from the 10th through the 12th as among the toughest on the course because of the narrow fairways.
Ariffin recovered from an adventurous opening round to earn a share of third. Starting from the 10th tee, the Malaysian mixed six birdies with four bogeys and a double bogey.
“I hit the ball really well today,” said Ariffin. “I got off to a really good start, chipped in early and managed to take advantage of the par fives.”
Ryo Noro of Japan pictured in action on July 14, 2026, during Round One of the Ambassador ADT Open played at Taipei Golf Club, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
He also highlighted the challenge presented by Taipei Golf Club’s greens.
“They’re tough. They’re very grainy, so you really have to know where to miss it.”
Last week’s Ever Glory ADT Open champion Nathan Han of the United States was among a group of seven players tied for sixth on one under after opening with a 70. Joining him were Malaysia’s Nicholas Fung, Chinese Taipei’s Lin Wei, Lu Wei-chih and Chang Wei-lun, Thailand’s Nirun Sae-Ueng and Singapore’s James Leow.
The opening round also produced the unusual sight of three holes-in-one, all coming at the 151-yard par-three 18th.
Japan’s Shori Ishizuka, who ended the day in a share of 13th after a 71, joined Malaysia’s Justin Chan (72) and Macau’s Kelvin Si in acing the hole. For Si, who turned professional at the start of 2024, it was the first hole-in-one of his career.
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.
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