Suteepat starts strong in title defence at Yeangder TPC

Thai star opens with 66 as wind tests the field in Chinese-Taipei

Las Vegas - Defending champion Suteepat Prateeptienchai handled gusts up to 50kmph with aplomb, firing a six-under-par 66 to take the first-round lead at the Yeangder TPC in Chinese-Taipei.

The 32-year-old, already a four-time winner on the Asian Tour, made two birdies and a 35-foot eagle putt in his first four holes to seize early control at Linkou International Golf and Country Club. Three more birdies and a gutsy par save at the last left him one clear of American Charles Porter, with Miguel Tabuena of the Philippines a further shot back.

“I made an incredible start. Four-under after four. The conditions are really tough and very different from last year. It was a case of hanging in there, making putts and hoping they would drop,” said Suteepat, who added that his season’s goal is to win an International Series event.

Porter, standing 6ft 9in and playing with his mother watching on, carded a 67 in what he called an emotional round on the week of his late father’s 75th birthday. Higa Kazuki, fresh from victory at the Shinhan Donghae Open, joined a group at 69 that included Chen Yi-tong, Wang Wei-hsuan and Hong Kong’s Matthew Cheung.

Seventeen-year-old local amateur Hsieh Cheng-wei, who made history here in 2022 as the youngest Asian Tour cut-maker, delighted home fans with a 70. “I think I’ve become a better player now. With my current distances, I feel like I’m able to compete with the big boys,” he said.