Jaco Ahlers opened with a three-under-par 69 on Thursday in the first round of the Asian Tour’s Yeangder TPC at Linkou International Golf and Country Club in New Taipei City, Taiwan to be in a share of 27^th.

It was a bogey-free start for the South African, as he picked up strokes on the fourth, fifth and 12^th. It put him five strokes off the lead which was held at eight-under-par by Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai. He was one clear of India’s Yuvraj Singh Sandhu and Taiwan’s Wang Wei-Hsuan who were on seven-under-par.

Jbe’ Kruger opened with a two-under-par 70 to be in a share of 46^th, while Ian Snyman slipped to a two-over-par 74 and was down in a share of 118^th.