MANILA, April 12, 2013 (AFP) - Lin was tied on two-under-par 142 with Thai duo Thammanoon Sriroj (69) and Kwanchai Tannin (71) and Australia's Matt Jager (72) after a blustery day at the Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in the Philippine capital.
Talented Korean Kim Gi-whan, Richard T. Lee of Canada, Elmer Salvador of the Philippines and Pawin Ingkhapradit of Thailand were a further shot back on 143 at the inaugural $300,000 Asian Tour event.
Overnight leader Dodge Kemmer of the United States posted 79 to slip to tied ninth.
Lin's last victory on the Asian Tour was at the 2009 Taiwan Masters.
"I struggled with my putting last year and recently changed to a new putter this week. Even though I had two three-putts, I still feel very comfortable with the new putter," he said, according to a release from the organisers.
The 39-year-old spent countless of hours at the gym last year but said he had now decided to stay away.
"I went to the gym quite often and my body was feeling sore. There were times when I struggled to swing. I'm getting older and I thought going to the gym would help me get more power. I was wrong! I decided to stop it completely this year," he said.
Jager, 24, formerly ranked third in the world as an amateur, recovered from a double bogey at the challenging par three eighth hole, with birdies on holes 12 and 15.
"You don't have to do much wrong to get the bogeys," he said.
"The wind might have changed on us for five or six times. That was the big thing because you always need to check the wind."
Thammanoon, 43, a five-time Asian Tour winner, rolled back the years when he took advantage of the relatively calm conditions in the morning with four birdies against one bogey.
Meanwhile, 2011 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner Juvic Pagunsan of the Philippines had to withdraw from the second round as his wife, who is expected to give birth within a fortnight, was feeling unwell.
Scores after round 2 of the Solaire Open 2013 at the par 72, 7,222-yard Wack Wack Golf and Country Club:
142 - Thammanoon Sriroj (THA) 73-69, Kwanchai Tannin (THA) 71-71, Matt Jager (AUS) 70-72, Lin Wen-tang (TPE) 69-73
143 - Kim Gi-whan (KOR) 72-71, Richard T. Lee (CAN) 72-71, Elmer Salvador (PHI) 74-69, Pawin Ingkhapradit (THA) 68-75
144 - Tetsuji Hiratsuka (JPN) 71-73, Gunn Charoenkul (THA) 73-71, Unho Park (AUS) 73-71, Carl Santos-Ocampo (PHI) 72-72, Panuwat Muenlek (THA) 74-70, Rahil Gangjee (IND) 75-69