Mandatory Credit: SpexSG/ Andy Chua
Nagoya, Japan, September 30: Shannon Tan underlined her growing credentials on the international stage by firing a seven-under-par 63 to take a three-shot lead after the opening round of the women’s individual golf competition at the Asian Games on Wednesday.
Playing alongside Philippines’ Bianca Pagdanganan and Virginie Ding from Hong Kong, China, the three-time Ladies European Tour (LET) winner and reigning Order of Merit Champion started strongly with a birdie on the second hole. She bogeyed the third but steadied the ship with three birdies on holes five, seven and eight to turn in 32.
Shannon then picked up another pair of birdies on holes 10 and 11 before dropping another shot on the par-three 12 at the Kasugai Country Club’s East Course.
The22-year-old responded with successive birdies on 13 and 14, extending her advantage with another birdie on 16 to eventually end the day with a three-shot lead over India’s Pranavi Sharath and also helped Singapore move to the top of the women’s team leaderboard.
Chen Xingtong also enjoyed a solid start by signing for a 69 to sit in a five-way tie for ninth, while Amanda Tan returned with a 72 to share 24th place.
In the men’s competition, Hiroshi Tai spearheaded Singapore’s challenge with a 70 for a share of 18th place. James Leow returned with a 72 while Nicklaus Chiam signed for a 75 to be placed in tied-29th and 40th, respectively.
Japan leads the team standings with 131, while Singapore shares 11th place with Thailand on 142.