- Final round will commence at 9:05am on Sunday (local time).
Yani Tseng leads by three on home soil at the Wistron Ladies Open, firing an impressive round of nine-under par (63) in round one in Taoyuan.
It’s been a week of unpredictable weather, with heavy rainfall and thick fog disrupting play at Sunrise Golf and Country Club. The 2025 edition is now a 36-hole tournament (no cut) so will hope to conclude today (Sunday).
Tseng was able to complete her final three holes of her opening round this morning at 6:30am, after play was suspended yesterday due to darkness.
The five-time major winner produced a bogey-free scorecard with four birdies on the bounce on holes four, five, six, and seven, then made another five on the turn.
“It’s just a lot of waiting, but I was so happy to get out there”, said the former world number one. “I was excited and ready to go. I was fully prepared so just wanted to go and play golf. The weather didn’t turn out quite well, but I’m glad I was able to finish the opening round today.”
Tseng is playing on home soil and is used to this unpredictable weather. “I’m used to this weather in Taiwan – the wind and rain. Maybe that’s why I love [AIG] Women’s Open.
The 36-year-old is joined by friends and family this week which she said is helping her this week.
She continued: “I have lots of people out here to support me – my friend and family. I feel very grateful. If I play well in front of them, it makes me happy and gives me motivation to do well. It’s been a while since I last got -9 so it’s really good. I just want to enjoy my time when I’m on the course.
“You definitely need to be patient this week. Everybody’s in the same situation. With my family and friends here too – whenever there’s a play delay – they help keep me relaxed. We can’t do anything about the weather”, said the Chinese Taipei native.
Tseng interestingly putts left-handed despite playing the game as a right-hander, something she switched in late 2024. She continued: “I’m just trying to play one shot at a time and then the putts were dropping. I feel like my caddie has been helping me a lot to read the greens, especially when it started to get dark yesterday. She’s helped me a lot to trust my instinct, trust my shots, and then just to keep that confidence out there to shoot a good low score.”
Thailand’s Nook Sukapan sits in solo second place on six-under par. Sukapan managed to complete all 18 holes yesterday in one go, compared to a lot of players completing over two days.
Sukapan got off to a flying start with a birdie on the opening hole and maintained strong momentum throughout her round.
“My game plan today was really good,” said the Thai. “I tried to stay focused on my game, because we had no control over the weather as it kept changing. My tee shots were good, and I was happy with both my driver and approach shots.”
Despite dropping a shot on the 7th hole, Sukapan produced an impressive back nine with five birdies, including consecutive birdies on the 12th and 13th.
“My putting was really good on the back nine,” she added. “I gave myself lots of birdie chances and managed to take advantage of them. I seem to play better when I don’t put too much pressure on myself, so I just need to keep this momentum going into tomorrow.”
Two shots behind the leader are five players. Ireland’s Lauren Walsh, England’s Lottie Woad, India’s Hitaashee Bakshi, Chinese Taipei’s Ya Chun Chang, and Thailand’s Patcharajutar Kongkraphan, all fired opening rounds of four-under par .
Walsh, who began Saturday morning with six holes left to play yesterday, carded a 68 (-4) despite the difficult conditions.
“It’s been such an unpredictable week,” Walsh said. “We didn’t know if we’d even get to play or what kind of condition the course would be in after all the rain. Yesterday was pretty miserable – it didn’t stop raining for the 12 holes I played, so my caddie and I were just trying to hang in there and grind it out.”
She added that maintaining mental focus is the key for this week.
“You just have to keep grinding and make sure to reset every time play is suspended. The course staff at Sunrise have done an incredible job. Considering how much rain we’ve had, the greens are in an amazing condition. Since I landed Monday night, it hasn’t stopped raining, but the last two holes today were finally dry. Kudos to everyone working hard to keep the course playable.”
With no practice rounds possible due to the weather, Walsh said the simplified approach actually helped:
“Sometimes we can overthink things. It was nice to go out with fresh eyes and just hit the best shot in front of me. My caddie and I kept it simple – hit the fairway, hit the green, and make a decent putt.”
Bakshi also joins Walsh and was in a group alongside leader Tseng.
“Playing with Yani is definitely my highlight of the week. She’s honestly inspirational. The way she played in that weather was amazing and it made me raise my game.”
The Indian has had a good run of form, finishing third at the Hero Women’s Indian Open earlier this month.
“I think recently I’ve started taking golf as something that’s part of my life and golf is not my life. I think this mindset has definitely helped.
“I feel like being a rookie on Tour and now that I’m securing my full card, I’m just so happy with that. My nine- or ten-year-old self would love to see me right now”, said the 21-year-old”
A total of 11 players share eighth place at three-under par, including Switzerland’s Chiara Tamburlini, France’s Agathe Sauzon, Thailand’s Kornkamol Sukaree and Kamonwan Lueamsri, Italy’s Alessandra Fanali, Chinese Taipei’s Heather Lin and Peiyun Chien, England’s Cara Gainer, New Zealand’s Amelia Garvey, Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes, and Thailand’s Ornnicha Konsunthea.
The final round will commence at 9:05am on Sunday morning, with the leaders off at 11:29am.
Watch live and follow all the action throughout the tournament on our socials – @LETgolf on Instagram, TikTok and X, and Ladies European Tour on YouTube and Facebook #2025WistronLadiesOpen.
