Linkou: India's Shiv Kapur grabbed the lead in the US$700,000 Yeangder TPC yesterday by carding a brilliant eight-under-par 64 on day one -- in an event that marks the first time the Asian Tour has visited Taiwan in three years because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The four-time Asian Tour winner overpowered the course with an eagle, eight birdies and just two bogeys at Linkou International Golf and Country Club in Taipei.
Taiwan's Chan Shih-chang and Malaysian Ben Leong came in with 66s, with India's Ajeetesh Sandhu and Prom Messawat from Thailand, both former winners of this event, firing 67s, along with Thailand's Nitithorn Thippong, a two-time champion this season, Taiwan's Lu Sun-yi, an amateur, Lee Chieh-po and Lin Keng-wei, and Miguel Carballo from Argentina.
"I putted really well, I have a local caddie out there, whose name is Su [Su Ching-hong, a National team player], who was arranged for me by James Chan [Chan Shih-chang] and the Tour and he is reading the greens really well, so I am just trusting him," said Kapur, who won the Yeangder Heritage here on the Asian Tour in Taiwan in 2017.
"I have always struggled around the greens here after all these years, but I am holing putts and he was a big help today."
His round started on 10 but his game really got going on his second nine when he eagled the first before making birdies on the next four.
He added: "Season so far has been a bit lacklustre, struggled with injuries in the middle of the season. My game has been close, but it has been very frustrating. I have been making a lot of cuts but not been playing well at the weekend. I feel like I was close, and I was looking for a low round and I could not have asked for a better start."