Liu two shots clear in Hangzhou
Liu Wenbo set the early pace at the Hangzhou International Challenge on Thursday as the Beijing teenager opened with a 3-under-par 68 for a two-shot lead under wet conditions in Zhejiang Province.
In a historic 72-hole tournament where the women of the China LPGA Tour are playing with the men of the China Tour, Hubei’s Zhang Weiwei was equal second with amateur Yin Ruoning after each carded a 70 over the Fuchun Resort course.
Nine players shot even-par 71 to sit three strokes off the lead.
On Thursday, the 78 women in the 156-player field played in the morning while the men teed off in the afternoon. The tournament was suspended at 1.25pm leaving 12 women players on the course. Play resumed at 3.15pm allowing them to finish. The men were not so lucky and will have to finish their first round on Friday.
Liu, a second-year pro who won the 2017 Zhangjiagang Shuangshan Challenge as an amateur, started her day from the Fuchun back nine. Her round included four birdies with her only dropped shot coming at the 18th hole (her 9th) when her tee shot found water.
“I haven’t played any event for one-and-a-half months. I was working on my short game during that period and it paid off today. My wedge game was sharper and I made some nice putts. I felt good about the way I played,” said the 18-year-old who in 2018 had three top-three finishes in her rookie season. She also won the individual silver medal at the Asian Games in helping the China women’s team to a third-place finish.
This year, her best result has been a tie for sixth at the Zhangjiagang Shuangshan Challenge in June.
“I had a great season last year. Going into this year, I set some high goals. Obviously, I rushed back and it backfired. But the first half of the year is history. My main focus is the qualifying tournament for the US LPGA Tour. Three-under is a decent start. I can have a better score. I missed some short putts but I wouldn’t complain.”
Zhang Weiwei, the current CLPGA Tour Order of Merit leader, registered four birdies through the first 14 holes. She then struggled down the stretch with late bogeys at the 15th and 18th holes on the picturesque 5,940-yard course which winds through a working tea plantation.
“At the last hole, I hesitated and hit into water. That bogey is disappointing,” said the 22-year-old who admitted to not feeling 100 per cent after eating some bad food in Thailand last week.
“I felt better today, but was not sharp on the whole. Some of the pin positions were tricky. Mostly, I didn’t play well. I didn’t take advantage of some birdie chances.”
Yin, who has won five times this year, including the National Amateur Championship, battled through the wet conditions to card five birdies and four bogeys.
“I was perplexed by my play. I had five birdies but just shot 1-under. Every time I captured a birdie, a bogey always followed,” said the Kunming teenager, No. 278 in the World Golf Amateur Ranking.
“The conditions were different due to the scattered rains. The golf course was wet. Over the first four or five holes I hadn’t grasped that when I looked up my yardage.”