Korea’s Minhyeok Yang turned in a steady performance in windy conditions at the Ambassador ADT Open today, posting a one-under-par 71 to edge a slight lead over the field after the second round.

He leads by a single shot from Hsieh Chi-hsien (69) of Chinese Taipei and Laotian Thammasack Bouaham (66), who improved on his first round score by 10 shots to drag himself to the top of the leader board with the low round of the day.

“It’s my first time playing in Taiwan, and the weather’s been great — just a bit too windy for my liking,” said Yang after his round. “The strong gusts definitely made it tough to control my shots, so I had to keep it low.

“But overall, I drove well and putted well, even with the slower greens. I was able to adapt to the conditions and keep things steady out there,” he added.

Thammasack was another who found the slower greens to his liking in the wind.

“Yeah, today was a solid round,” he said after posting his score. “I drove the ball well and was able to get pretty close to the pins. The wind definitely made things tricky, but the slower greens actually worked in my favour — made the putting a bit easier. I was able to sink a one-putt on most holes, just staying steady and trusting the pace,” he added

Yeh Chia-yin (74) of Chinese Taipei sits in solo fourth place in the US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event, which is being held at Hsin Feng Country Club from November 6-9.

In fifth place, the Thai duo of Witchayapat Sinsrang (71) and Runchanapong Youprayong (70) are on even par after two rounds on this challenging course, known for its narrow fairways and strong winds.

Kevin Phelan (71) of Ireland improved on his first round score and shares seventh place with first-round leader Liu Yunghua (77) and Yu Sung-po (73) of Chinese Taipei, alongside Kosuke Hamamoto (70) of Thailand.

Liu remains the top scorer in the Order of Merit battle that is going on at this event as the season nears a conclusion.

Although in fourth place at the start of the tournament, his closest contenders Ahmad Baig (73) of Pakistan and Tanapat Pichaikool (71) of Thailand are a shot further back on two over par.

They share 11th spot with Nirun Sae-ueng (73) of Thailand and Chang Tse-yu (73) of Chinese Taipei.

Current OOM leader Rahil Gangee (74) is in 15th place heading into the final rounds, alongside Korea’s Lion Park (70) and Huang Chi, K.P. Lin and Shen Weicheng of Chinese Taipei.

The winds continued to affect performances for the second day, with only 10 players in the 126-strong field breaking par in round two. The cut has been made at seven over par, with 52 golfers heading into the final two rounds.

Play will continue in the 72-hole event tomorrow starting at 7.10am off two tees. The leading group will be starting their round at 8.38am.

Liu Yung-hua of Chinese Taipei birdied his final hole to take a slender lead after the first day of the Ambassador ADT Open at Hsin Feng Country Club today.

The 27-year-old golfer, who won the BNI Ciputra Golfpreneur tournament in August, has already made three appearances on the Asian Tour this year and showed his mettle with a four-under-par 68. He holds a one shot lead in the US$100,000 Asian Development Tour event over compatriot Yeh Chia-yin (69) in solo second.

They are trailed by Hong Kong’s Leon D’Souza, Korea’s Minhyeok Yang and He Chin-hung, also of Chinese Taipei, in third place a further shot back.

“Despite the wind, the fairways were solid, and with a few birdie chances, staying focused and aiming true really paid off today,” said Liu after his round.

“I did make some adjustments by hitting with a trajectory that was half of my usual ball flight, taking into account the wind to adjust my shot direction. I executed the strategy well, though the winds were the strongest I have encountered this year,” he added.

“It’s always a great experience to play an ADT event on home turf,” he said, “there’s something special about competing where you feel most at ease.”

Aidric Jose Chan of the Philippines shares sixth spot on 71 at one-under-par, alongside K.P. Lin and Wang Hsi-an of Chinese Taipei and India’s Varun Chopra.

Thailand’s Itthipat Buranatanyarat posted an even par 72 to share 10th place with the Chinese Taipei duo of Yu Sung-po and Lin Chie-hsiang.

Current ADT Order of Merit leader Rahil Gangee posted a one over par 73 and sits in 13th spot alongside Pakistan’s Ahmad Baig, his closest challengers in the race to the 2024 OOM title.

They share 13th place with Hsieh Chi-hsien and Huang Chi of Chinese Taipei, Japan’s Tsutomu Kikuta and Thailand’s Witchayapat Sinsrang, Nirun Sae-ueng and Nopparat Panichphol, winner of the previous ADT tournament.

With only two more events remaining this season, there will be some jostling for position in the OOM rankings.

Although the two top runners have opened a small gap after two victories each this season, the other contenders are tightly grouped with a tournament win each already this year.

Third-placed Tanapat Pichaikool of Thailand is in 29th spot after an opening round score of 75, and leader Liu will be looking to improve on his position in fourth place. Both have wins in Indonesia this year.

With fifth-placed Matthew Cheung not teeing it up this week, Nopparat, who won in Cambodia last month, will be looking to improve his sixth place ahead of Kammalas Namuangruk (77) who won in Thailand in May.

With a total of 126 golfers taking part in the 72-hole tournament, the second round will begin on schedule off two tees at 6.20am local time. The afternoon session will begin at 10.50am.

The Yeangder Group are reinforcing their commitment to the development of professional golf in Chinese-Taipei by launching their very first event on the Asian Development Tour (ADT), called the Ambassador ADT.

To be played at Hsin Feng Golf Country Club (main picture) from November 7-10, the event will boast prizemoney of US$100,000, and will be sanctioned by the local PGA.

It is part of a three-year commitment by the Yeangder Group, who are the promoter of the Yeangder TPC – one of Chinese-Taipei’s most prominent events on the Asian Tour.

Its Chairman Emmet Hsu, who is also on the Asian Tour’s Board of Directors, said: “Presently, three Asian Tour events are staged in Chinese-Taipei, including the Yeangder TPC. This is excellent for golf in our country, but we also want to create even more playing opportunities for Chinese-Taipei’s rising stars which is why the ADT is the perfect platform for growth.”

Ho Yu-cheng’s success is an example of how the ADT can launch careers. Picture by Paul Lakatos/Asian Tour.

“The ADT focuses on cultivating the next generation of Asia’s golfers and we saw this last year when Chinese-Taipei’s Ho Yu-cheng won the PKNS Selangor Masters. That helped him finish in the top-10 on the ADT Order of Merit which earned him his Asian Tour card. The ADT provides a pathway to propel the careers of the region’s up-and-coming players and we would like to be a part of this.”

Hsu’s son Bryan has recently started to participate in and organise tournaments – providing further impetus for the Yeangder Group to help the development of the game in a country that has produced so many of the region’s finest players.

The Ambassador ADT will feature a field of 126 players, 66 coming from the ADT, 56 from the local PGA, plus four invites.

Said Ken Kudo, General Manager, ADT: “Last year the Taiwan Glass Taifong Open was elevated from the ADT to the Asian Tour with great success. It also meant there were no ADT events in Chinese-Taipei, so we are delighted that the Yeangder Group have now seized the opportunity to fill the void with the Ambassador ADT, as part of a multi-year deal.”

As one of the season-ending events on the ADT, the event will play a decisive role in helping to shape the final Order of Merit and determine who finishes in the top-10 to secure passage onto the 2025 Asian Tour season.

Hsin Feng Golf Country Club is 27-hole golfing complex located in Hsinchu city in Northern Chinese-Taipei.