DP World Tour : Volvo China Open Tee Times Leaderboard
Players and officials were quite concerned for the par 71, Anting GC, arriving in Shanghai, China, some 12 hours ahead of EST (It is 6am Thursday April 23rd, here in Toronto, 6pm in Shanghai) in a torrential rain which continued on and off through early Wednesday.
However it drained well, they managed to play the pro-am, and overcast relatively calm conditions met the field this morning on a very soft course, which hs been yielding low scoring.
*** The clubhouse leader is veteran Spaniard Alejandro del Rey with -10 61, followed by Chinese Yanhan Zhou 2nd -9 62 , then South African Shaun Norris 3rd -8 63.
Canada's Aaron Cockerill has a lot of crooked numbers playing the course backwards, out 4 birdies, 2 bogey's -2 34, back in 4 birdies, 1 bogey -3 32 for -5 66 T6.
Bryan Angus
EDIT >>>>> 7.20am EST
Alejandro del Rey carded a stunning 61 to edge ahead of teenage sensation Yanhan Zhou and open up a one-shot lead after day one of the Volvo China Open.
Zhou, who only turned 18 earlier this month, thrilled the home crowds as he got to -9 through 12 holes and, showing a composure beyond his years, looked certain to take the first-round lead at Enhance Anting Golf Club.
But as he parred his final six holes to card a bogey-free 62, Del Rey matched his front-nine 29 after starting on the tenth to storm to -10 with 61 to lead the way.
With no shortage of rain in the build-up and preferred lies in place, it was a low scoring day in Shanghai, with South African Shaun Norris 3rd at -8 63, one clear of Austrian Bernd Wiesberger 4th -7 64.
Home favourite Bowen Chai was then 5th at -6 and will return to complete his final hole on Friday as one of six players who were still on course when darkness brought play to an end.
Australian Kuangyu Chen holed out for a spectacular eagle on the par-four seventh and he was at T6 -5 alongside 2024 champion Adrian Otaegui, Canadian Aaron Cockerill and England's Andrew Johnston.
“It was great,” del Rey said. “I definitely didn’t see it coming at the beginning of the round, it’s a tough course and you have to play and I guess we got a little bit lucky with the rain yesterday, it helped.
“It was a very nice round, everything felt like it was flowing pretty nicely and I had one of those low ones come out.”
Zhou the home favourite put on a masterclass in his first 12 holes.
He already has 11 wins on the China Tour, with seven of those coming last season as he romped to the Order of Merit title as a 17-year-old, and is clearly comfortable on home soil after also finishing third at last month’s Hainan Classic.
“I’m feeling great,” he said. “Seven birdies and an eagle, I just feel ‘oh my God! There are so many people have come here to watch me and support me so I’m very happy to get a good start. My dad is my caddy and he supports me a lot and I love to play games with my family and friends, it’s incredible.”
europeantour.com
Bryan Angus (edit)
No comments:
Post a Comment