Mako aces his way into HCT ADT Open lead
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.
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.
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