Typhoon Usagi brought in some gusty winds and rains on Friday afternoon at the Sunrise Golf & Country Club. Players in the leading groups have to overcome a poor weather condition in the finishing holes, which also gave the early starters a chance to catch up. Taiwan’s Lu Ya-Huei (呂雅惠), who opened the 2013 CTBC Ladies Open with a tie for fifth, kept her head cool to card a 1-over 73, bringing her to the solo lead with a 5-over 149.

“You had to deal with everything it throws at you,“ said the former JLPGA player. “It’s not easy, though. I hope we won’t have to player another round.” Tournament officials will announce in the evening if the final third round would be cancelled due to the weather.

Were the final round cancelled, prize would be allocated according to the current standings after two rounds, and Lu would be awarded an NT$600,000 winner check, along with a wildcard into the this year’s Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship in October.

First-round co-leader Hsieh Yu-Ling (謝瑀玲) would yet hope to complete all three rounds for a chance to be back on top. She failed to fight the winds as she posted a 7-over 79 and dropped to a tie for sixth, with Taiwanese Shih Huei-Ju (石惠如), Chang Hsuan-Ping (張瑄屏), Cheng Ssu-Chia (程思嘉), South Korean Ye-Na Chung, Do-Yeon Kim, and Thai Tanaporn Kongkiatkrai, all trailing the leader by three shots.

“It was such a long day. It feels like we just played a 36-hole round,” Hsieh described.

“But even if we have to play in a pool tomorrow, I’m playing!” she said jokingly. “I need one more round to turn things around.”

The other two first-round leaders, Taiwanese amateur Hsing Hsuan-Ho (邢宣和) and Korean Min-Ji Nam shot 77 and 78 respectively, sliding down the ranks to second and third place.

Taiwan native Yani Tseng came to support this home event on the course side, cheering and giving some tips for good friends and fellow players. Tseng was a winner on this course at the 2011 Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship.