Ji two shots clear of the pack in Shanghai
Ji Yuai set the early pace at the FILA GOLF Women's Classic on Friday as the Dalian teenager carded a six-under 66 in the opening round for a two-shot lead in Shanghai.
With the weather hot and sunny for the 1.2 million yuan tournament, a new event on the China LPGA Tour calendar, rookie pro Wang Zixuan and amateurs Tang Rongze and Zhou Shiyuan were tied for second after each shot 68 over the Yangtze Links layout at the Anying PGA Golf Club, a venue previously known as Lanhai International.
Cao Xinyu, another rookie pro, was three shots off the pace after a 69, tied for equal fifth with veterans Pan Yanhong and Liu Wenbo.
Pang Runzhi, the rookie sensation who leads the CLPGA Tour Order of Merit, was disqualified for using an illegal driver.
With play called for darkness, 21 players were left out on the course and will complete their first round on Saturday.
Ji, who won her maiden pro title at the Tianjin Women's Open in April, had to wait until the sixth hole to get her first birdie of the day and would card two more to make the turn at three-under 33. The 19-year-old would continue her strong play over the back nine with birdies at 11, 14 and 17, where she narrowly missed a 30-foot eagle putt, to complete her bogey-free round.
"It's a tough day with strong wind. The rough is long out there. I believe that I had a good score with a few good breaks. I could have had plenty of unplayable lies but I didn't have any today. The god of fortune was on my side," said Ji, a third-year pro.
"The highlight of my day wasn't any of my birdies, but the par at the (362-yard) 13th hole. After two poor shots, I hit a good chip from 45 yards to 10 feet on a tricky pin and made the putt. I won the first event of the year in Tianjin but it has not been smooth since then. I was very ill in Beijing and struggled to recover. It's a good start. Hopefully my momentum continues for two more days."
Wang, a 17-year-old from Beijing who finished runner-up as an amateur in Tianjin, started her early round on the back nine making birdie on the first hole (the 10th hole). After consecutive bogeys from the 12th hole (her third hole), the teenager found her groove starting at the 16th hole (her seventh hole) marking the start of three consecutive birdies. She would match that run on her back nine (the front nine) with three straight birdies from the third hole (her 12th hole) before dropping a shot at the seventh hole (her 16th hole).
"I made three unnecessary mistakes, which I felt a little bit disappointed about. But I also made a bundle of birdies, including two hat-tricks," said Wang who turned pro earlier this year.
"I have worked very hard and tried to improve for the coming second half of season, but I changed my clubs a few weeks ago and I need more time to settle down going into this week. I felt I was old enough to turn pro and I will try to qualify for the LPGA Tour next year."
Tang, a 15-year-old from Qingdao, continued to impress after getting into the tournament by winning the Monday qualifier. Her round included five birdies and a lone bogey after starting from the back nine.
"Going into this round, I was thinking that 68 is an impossible score for me around here. But after the round I thought that I could have been better than a 68. I played well and made some nice putts after the first hole (the 10th hole). I am always able to have a good score if I am making putts," said the Shandong teenager.
"The Monday qualifying was good for me. It allowed me to play more rounds here and I got to know the course better."
Zhou, who has posted six wins on the amateur circuit over the past two seasons and is 198th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, was also a sight to behold. After starting on the 10th hole, she carded six birdies, five of which came on her back nine, the front nine, and two bogeys. The 14-year-old Chongqing native also got into the tournament through Monday qualifying.
"This score is beyond my expectation. My plan was just an even score. The course was shorter than the Monday qualifying round when we had to play from some back tees. My conservative strategy will likely stay the same because it was a good fit for me."
