2008 China Tour Guangzhou Championship - Round 1: Chan marks Tour debut with 67 for three shot lead

Chan Yihshin of Chinese Taipei enjoyed a memorable debut on the Omega China Tour by shooting a five-under-par 67 for a three-stroke lead after the first round of the US$100,000 Guangzhou Championship.

Chan finished clear of compatriot Hsu Mongnan and Liao Guiming, who both posted 70. Defending champion Zhang Lianwei was joint-seventh after finishing with a 72.

The tournament is being played at the Dragon Lake Golf Club outside Guangzhou and is the opening event of the 10-leg circuit.

"I had a really good round. I was even happy with my bogeys," said Chan, who played the course for the first time on Tuesday. "I find the whole course challenging, but I like the layout and it suits my game."

Chan began his round on the 10th hole and recorded birdies on holes 11 and 14, but they were offset by back-to-back bogeys on holes 16 and 17.

However, a birdie on the par-four 18th set him up for a great front nine, where he birdied four holes - including three of the last four - to set the early pace in the event, which has attracted a Tour record field of 129 players.

Chan finished fourth on the Order of Merit on his domestic circuit last year, after two victories and a runner-up finish in five appearances.

He and Hsu came to Guangzhou as the tournament's two invites from Chinese Taipei, and both are looking to become the first non-mainland player to win on the Tour.

"I think we'll have a good chance this year of winning," Chan said. "We want to do well."

Zhou Xunshu, who played with Hsu, finished joint-fourth on 71 despite playing in the spotlight of NBC's cameras.

However, the close attention of a Beijing-based crew from the US television network didn't put him off his game as he enjoyed a rare appearance on the leaderboard.

"I was so nervous when I saw the NBC cameras on my first hole (the 10th). I didn't know they would be there," he said. "At first I played well, but I later put two balls in the water. I'm still happy with my score," said the smiley Zhou.

Zhou is one of many players on the Tour with interesting backgrounds. As a former security guard at a golf course, he has captured the attention of international media and was later interviewed by NBC for a programme on the Omega China Tour and the growth of Chinese golf.

On a day in which the Chinese Taipei duo enjoyed the upper hand, Zhou said he learned a lot from his playing partner.

"It was great for me to play with Hsu," Zhou said. "He has wonderful course management and a dream short game. That's exactly what we mainland players need, that kind of short game."

Hsu was also complimentary about his playing partner. "Zhou outdrove me by 30-40 yards every time," he said. "He really has everything in his game apart from international experience."

The Omega China Tour, which is in its fourth year, offers a total purse of US$1.1 million.

Leading First Round Scores - par 72 (click here for full leaderboard):

67 - Chan Yihshin (TPE)
70 - Hsu Mongnan (TPE), Liao Guiming
71 - Zhou Xunshu, Wang Xiafeng, Chen Yu
72 - Zhang Lianwei, Liu Guojie, Yang Jinbiao, Deng Yuchao
73 - Cui Xiaolong, Gao Hui, Nick Redfern (ENG), Zhong Yongguan, He Shaocai, Wang Lei, Yang Wenzhang, Zhong Yongguan
74 - Deng Yonghong, Huang Mingjie, Jovick Lee (HKG), Zheng Wengen

Selected:

75 - Wong Woonman (HKG)
78 - Li Chao
83 - James Stewart (HKG)

March 13, 2008