Lauren Walsh sits in a share for third place at the Wistron Ladies Open, with heavy rainfall and thick fog disrupting play at Sunrise Golf and Country Club in Taoyuan.
Round one resumed early Saturday morning before being suspended once again at 8:06am due to fog. Play finally got back underway at 11am, allowing players to continue their opening rounds, and round one's afternoon wave to start.
At the top of the leaderboard, Thailand’s Nook Sukapan and Chinese Taipei’s Yani Tseng are tied at six-under par. Tseng still has four holes left to play, while Sukapan managed to complete all 18 holes.
Walsh, who began Saturday morning with six holes left to play, carded a 68 (-4) in her opening round despite the difficult conditions.
"It’s been such an unpredictable week," said Walsh. "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."
Chinese Taipei's Ya Chun Chang and Thailand’s Kultida Pramphun join Walsh in a share of third place.
A total of 11 players share sixth place at three-under par, France’s Agathe Sauzon, Thailand’s Kornkamol Sukaree, Kamonwan Lueamsri, and Patcharajutar Kongkraphan, Italy’s Alessandra Fanali, Chinese Taipei’s Heather Lin, England’s Cara Gainer and Alice Hewson, New Zealand’s Amelia Garvey, India’s Hitaashee Bakshi, and Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes.
Kongkraphan, Bakshi, Galmes, and Hewson are still yet to finish their opening rounds.
It was announced on Friday that due to the weather and course conditions, the Wistron Ladies Open has been reduced to a 36-hole tournament with no cut.
Round one will resume at 6:30am on Sunday morning, with round two not commencing before 8:45am. It will be a two-tee start, with the leaders teeing off the first tee last.
