2008 China Tour Dell Championship - Round 1: Personal best 64 gives Liu three shot lead

Liu Guojie shot a six-under-par 64 to equal his best-ever round and take the first-day lead in the US$100,000 Dell Championship in Xiamen, the second event on this year's 10-event Omega China Tour.

Teaching pro Yu Gendong was in second place with a career-best 67, while Li Chao, Yuan Hao, Kong Weihai, Yang Shengqin and Chinese Taipei's Hsu Mongnan were tied for third on 69.

Chan Yihshin of Chinese Taipei shot five-over on the par-four 15th to undo spectacular work on the front nine and finish even par, while Zhang Lianwei had an unlucky 13th, shooting a triple-bogey on the par-five and finishing on 73.

The 41-year-old Liu, part of China's ¡®first generation' of professional golfers along with Zhang, Cheng Jun and Zheng Wengen, cruised to the top of the leaderboard with five successive birdies on the back nine at the Orient (Xiamen) Golf and Country Club.

"Six-under-par equals my best round, so I'm really happy," said Liu, who was on top form despite aggravating a back problem at last week's KEB Invitational in Shanghai.

"I drove well and my iron play was red hot. I also putted quite well, with only one three putt. However, my approach shots were good, so most of my birdie putts were from within 10 feet."

Liu, whose best finish on the Omega China Tour was fourth in last October's season-ending Omega Championship, played it safe around the par-70 layout, which includes two long par-fours usually played as par-fives.

"For me, it's most important to play safe, so I don't go too much for distance and sometimes my drives aren't too long," said Liu, who's just as comfortable holding a microphone as a nine-iron, as he proved when singing at Zhang's birthday party at last year's Qingdao Championship.

The experienced pro didn't allow himself to be put under pressure about a first win on Tour. "I'm naturally a very relaxed guy. I'm not as competitive as other people I know. I just enjoy what I do for a living."

Yu Gendong was also a happy man. He amazed himself more than anyone else when he shot a 67 to smash his career-best score and make a rare appearance on the leaderboard.

The 25-year-old, who only took up golf five years ago after graduating, is a teaching pro at Shandong Yantai Golf Club. He has previously only played three events on the Omega China Tour, all last year, with a best finish of 18th in the Shanghai Championship.

"The lowest round I've ever shot was even par, a 72, so today I beat that by three shots," admitted Yu, who initially joined Shandong Yantai as a caddie.

"To be honest, my main ambition in this event is to make the cut. I really thought at best I would be two or three over par. That's my level!"

Yu could have scored even lower. Five-under going to the 17th, he put his approach shot into an unfortunate lie in the right-hand trap, flailing out to the far-left of the green before three putting.

"I was so happy when I shot five birdies on the front nine, but told myself to calm down and not think about it. My caddie was congratulating me and also making me feel relaxed," he said.

"With a couple of holes to go, I could see the finishing line and got really excited. On 17, I hit my second into the bunker. Unfortunately, I'm not a good bunker player, as there aren't many on the course where I teach, just a lot of trees."

Meanwhile, Kong Weihai's military background proved helpful as he finished tied for third.

On Wednesday, Kong, Liu Anda and Wu Ashun all progressed from a qualifying tournament for April's US$2.2 million Volvo China Open, but had little time to celebrate as they flew south in the evening to tee off in the Dell Championship the following morning.

A former soldier, the 29-year-old Kong showed few ill effects from a 7.40 tee-off time to shoot one-under, while Wu and Liu shot 72 and 73 respectively.

"I was a bit tired today, but overall I feel pretty confident after qualifying for the Volvo China Open," he said.

Kong revealed that he has been improving his mental game by reading a translation of Karen Lee Hill's Frameworks for Sport Psychologists: Enhancing Sport Performance, among other books.

"As there haven't been any professional events in China since November until this month, I spent a lot of time practising and reading a lot of golf books, especially on the mental game. But now all the events are happening at once and in 30 days, I have 24 days of tournaments!"

Among others lurking in third are Li Chao, the defending champion and two-time Omega Order of Merit winner, Yuan Hao, the top Chinese finisher in last week's KEB Invitational, and Hsu Mongnan, joint runner-up at the Guangzhou Championship, the Tour's season opener two weeks ago.

Click here for first round leaderboard

March 27, 2008