Chen Yu-Ju (陳宇茹) and Shih Huei-Ju (石惠如) share the lead after the first 18 holes of the 2015 Gem Sheen TLPGA Heritage Tour. Chen and Shih both card 1-under 71 and have a 2-shot advantage over Yvonne Weng (翁子琁).

With her tie for second place at the TLPGA, LAGT, and HKPGA co-organized Hong Kong Ladies Open last month, Chen has risen up on the brink of the top 10 on the 2015 TLPGA Tour Money List, and that barrier could be crossed tomorrow as she takes the lead into Thursday’s final-round. The winner will earn a NT$71,000 first-place prize in a total purse of NT$600,000.

“It’s a difficult course,” said Chen of the backdrop this week, the Taiwan Golf & Country Club. “It’s hard to really set up the first shots into attacking positions.”

Chen made three birdies and two bogeys.”I had a few loose long putts. I hope I get to find better form in my putter tomorrow to win it.” Chen took a first-round total of 30 putts.

Heading into the final 18 holes tied at the top was Shih, whose last visit to the Taiwan Golf & Country Club course can date back to more than a decade.

“Very lucky I still keep the notes I left more than 10 years ago when I played on this course,” Shih said. “After the recent member training camps hosted by the TLPGA, I felt refreshed and realized and believed that I can still improve as a player, after all these years on the tour. I feel more confident right now than this past year and this tournament is definitely a good start for me whatever the outcome is tomorrow.”

Chung Chen Heritage Tour (Spring) winner Chen Meng-Chu (陳孟竺) scored three birdies but had five bogeys to sit in a tie for fourth with Chien Pei-Yun (錢珮芸) at 74, hoping she would shake off the rust from the one-month break.

The recent KENDA Tires TLPGA Open champion Liang Yi-Ling (梁宜羚) was off to a slow pace on Wednesday, carding a 11-over 83 and currently tied for 28th. “It was a long day for me. I took a whole month resting my injured right wrist after the win. And clearly I was struggling to catch back my rhythm,” said Liang. “The layout is very challenging. Narrow fairways and rather hard and fast. I can only try to learn a few lessons today and hopefully do better in the final round.”

The Gem Sheen TLPGA Heritage Tour, the third stop in the 2015 Heritage Series, is organized by the TLPGA, co-organized and venue provided by Taiwan Golf & Country Club, with the title sponsor being the Gem Sheen Golf Club, which is one of the highest rated golf practice zones in Taiwan, featuring a 230-yard driving range, a 150-yard wedge area, as well as an 18-hole miniature course.

The TLPGA Heritage Series applies the pro-junior system, in which the TLPGA pros are grouped with amateurs and junior golfers, with an aim to provide a platform for closer interaction between the experienced and the young prospects. The concept is also one of the main focuses for the TLPGA to develop the youth generation.