TIANJIN, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- An Zining set the early pace at the Straits Cup Ladies Classic on Wednesday as the Chinese rookie pro opened with a bogey-free six-under 66 to take a one-stroke lead in front of her hometown fans at Tianjin Fortune Lake Golf Club.
Chinese rookie pros crowded the top of the leaderboard as 17-year-old Ren Yijia and 16-year-old Zhou Shiyuan each carded five-under 67 over the 6,064-yard C and D composite course to sit equal second with Thailand's Chakansim Khamborn.
China's Xu Ying, Zhao Yihan and Lin Xinen were two shots off the pace on 68, tied for equal fifth with Thai veteran Sherman Santiwiwatthanaphong.
Huang Ting-hsuan was the top Chinese Taipei player in a group of five players tied for equal ninth on 69.
A delighted An said the "golf god was on her side today" as it was the first time she had gone bogey-free in a tournament at a course where she first started playing the game as an 11-year-old.
"My iron play was accurate and I didn't have any major mistakes. Today, I was hitting fairways off the tee and finding greens in regulation. I probably missed only two greens, and even those were on the fringe. My ball-striking was solid," said the 18-year-old who last year won the inaugural China Golf Women's Legacy event in Sichuan as an amateur for her maiden CLPG Tour win.
"Since my junior days I've rarely shot low scores on the first day. I usually come from behind, including my only CLPG Tour win. These days, I take a pretty relaxed approach to everything. I just focus on doing my best and staying positive. Maybe that has something to do with me just turning 18 last week.
"Even though I won a tournament, I still feel I have technical weaknesses. During the off-season I've been working on improving my short game, including putting."
Ren, the CLPG Tour points ranking leader on the strength of three wins this season, got into trouble early with a double bogey seven at the fourth hole where her second shot found water. She would quickly rebound with three straight birdies starting at the sixth hole before adding another three birdies on the back nine in the hunt for her seventh career CLPG Tour win.
"I played pretty well today. There was a little wobble right at the start off the tee (at the fourth hole) but overall I felt I performed really well," said the Dalian teenager.
"I was very satisfied with my play on the par threes today. The par threes on this course are actually very long and quite difficult, so to go three-under on those four holes I think that's pretty impressive," Ren added.
Zhou, who was returning to competition for the first time since April after suffering a wrist injury, said the arm felt fine and gave her no pain. The 16-year-old Chongqing native started the day on the back nine and carded five birdies, including three straight from the third hole, her 12th hole, in a bogey-free round.
"This is my first round in four months, and I'm already very satisfied with this score. I think I got some good breaks today as well. I made a lot of long putts. I definitely achieved the goals I set for today and tomorrow I'll just let it happen naturally," said Zhou, a three-time winner as an amateur on the CLPG Tour.
"The first three holes today were very rough, mainly because of some trouble around the greens. I scrambled really well, had good luck, and made a few putts too."
Chakansim, who has played full-time on the CLPG Tour for the past two years, started her afternoon round on the back nine where she carded five birdies in her first seven holes. After dropping her only shot of the day at the par-four first, her 10th hole, she carded a late birdie at the eighth hole, her 17th hole, to move into contention.
"On the front nine, I hit my irons pretty well and was able to make some putts. On the back nine, I felt my irons weren't quite as consistent, and I think that made the difference. I'm still working on my swing and will keep making some adjustments," said the 26-year-old, who was runner-up at the Chonburi Ladies Championship in June.
"For me, the most important thing is just to go out there, have fun and enjoy playing golf. That's really all I expect from myself." ■
