SHANGHAI, April 23 (Xinhua) -- China's Zhou Yanhan shot an opening-round 62 on Thursday to sit one stroke off the lead after Spain's Alejandro del Rey fired a 10-under-par 61 to take the early advantage at the 31st Volvo China Open.
Zhou's nine-under round matched the tournament's lowest score from last year, but fading light forced play to be suspended with the 18-year-old Chinese prospect narrowly behind del Rey, whose 61 set the pace.
Preferred lies were in effect following rain, meaning del Rey's 61 will not count as a course record.
"I definitely didn't see it coming at the beginning of the round," Del Rey said. "It's a tough course, and you have to play well. I guess we got a little bit lucky with the rain yesterday - it helped because Monday the greens were really firm. Everything just flowed nicely."
The 28-year-old Spaniard started from the 10th tee and made an immediate impact with an eagle at his opening hole. Aside from a lone bogey at the 14th, he was nearly flawless, collecting eight birdies over his final 11 holes. A two-putt birdie on the par-5 eighth moved him into the outright lead ahead of Zhou.
Despite del Rey's lead, much of the attention fell on Zhou, a prolific winner on the China Tour who appeared to rediscover top form. Starting his round in the afternoon, Zhou moved quickly with two birdies in his first three holes, then sank a 25-foot putt at the fifth before holing out from 45 feet off the green at the sixth to spark a remarkable run.
He added back-to-back birdies at the seventh and eighth, then made an 18-foot eagle putt at the 10th after the turn. Another long, curling birdie putt at the 12th briefly raised the prospect of a sub-60 round.
Zhou was unable to maintain the momentum, however, parring his final six holes, with narrowly missed chances mixed with moments of precision, to finish second, one shot behind.
"The first 12 holes were close to perfect," Zhou said. "There was some luck involved, but I played really well."
South Africa's Shaun Norris carded a 63 to sit third, while Austria's Bernd Wiesberger posted a 64 for fourth. Shanghai native Chai Bowen rounded out the top five with a 65.
Five players were unable to complete their rounds and will resume at 7:45 a.m. on Friday.
The 31st Volvo China Open runs from April 23 to 26 at Enhance Anting Golf Club in Shanghai, featuring a 156-player field from 28 countries and regions. The tournament carries a total purse of 2.75 million U.S. dollars, with 467,500 dollars going to the champion. ■
