Fast start for Bubba Watson  in Shenzhen, China with a six-under 66

 

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Bubba Watson produced his finest opening round performance in the weather-delayed Shenzhen International to set the clubhouse target of six-under-par 66 to move one-shot clear of the chasing pack.

The big-hitting American has been one of the headline acts in each of the first three editions of the event at Genzon Golf Club, China as he looks to improve on his best finish of a tie for eighth in 2016.

An early bogey on the 12th was the only blemish of his round, the two-time Masters Tournament Champion then went on to birdie the first and followed up an incredible approach shot to eight feet on the par five second to set up an eagle that catapulted him to the top of the leaderboard.

South Africa’s Haydn Porteous (67) had a roller coaster of a round containing just four pars as he went on to make ten birdies for the day.
His compatriot Dean Burmester joins him on five under par alongside Frenchman Grégory Bourdy and German Maximilian Kieffer.

Eight-time European Tour champion Thongchai Jaidee also sits one shot off the pace at five under par through 17. The Thai legend will resume play at 6:30am tomorrow morning to complete his first round, along with 60 players, due to storms in the area suspending play in the afternoon for an hour and 50 minutes.

Play was suspended overnight at 19:00 local time - due to earlier inclement weather and subsequent darkness.

South Africa’s Dylan Fritelli (68) is joined by Denmark’s Thorbjørn Olesen, Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger and Spain’s Eduardo De La Riva in a share of third with all set to continue their opening round tomorrow morning.

Player Quotes:            

Bubba Watson

“You know anytime you shoot six under, shoot in the 60s, you’re happy with it but every golfer can pick and choose what they wish they did better. All in all a great day and a good start.”

“I thought I hit some putts really hard but they didn’t get to the hole. I have been working so hard on trying to get more speed I guess on the greens and trying to get my putter at least to the hole, even if they don’t go in to at least to give them the opportunity to go in, that’s what I did better this first round compared to the last couple of years here.

“It’s fun playing with him (Li Haotong). I’ve played with him a few times here and what a good kid he is. He’s only what, 21 or 20, so it’s fun playing with him, getting to see him again and hang out with him. Tommy as you know, he likes to be quiet, so we tried to egg him on and get him to talk today.”

“I just made putts today. Most of my swings and most of my shots were really good today and there were no bad swings in there so it just made the score better. The more you play the golf course, the more you are going to learn it and get better at it, and like the saying is, this is our home course, so after two years of playing it I should know by now.

Haydn Porteous

“The wind started to pick up on the back nine and I hit the shots that I needed to, especially the last three holes coming in, so to finish with three birdies was pretty much exactly what I was looking for.

“To have a real bounce back like I did both times where I should not really be dropping shots was key to keeping my momentum in the round. My caddie and I have really been talking about trying to stay positive on the golf course, especially after a tough seven months and I did that today and it seemed to pay off.

Max Kieffer

“I am very happy, it is a very good score. I didn’t really sleep much last night, I had a bit of jetlag so I only four hours of sleep, so I didn’t expect it this morning but obviously I’m delighted, it’s a very good start.

“It was just a grind. I really committed to all the shots today - I didn’t hit it that flush all the time - especially in the beginning but once you play well and get a bit of momentum, I woke up a bit on the back nine and then hit some really nice shots.

“It was solid from tee to green, I was never really in any trouble, I hit many greens and didn’t really hole that many putts, but just took advantage of the par fives, so my tee to green was very solid today.

Gregory Bourdy

“It is a very good start. I played solid, the course conditions are very nice and I enjoyed my morning, it was a good start to the tournament.

“The weather has been almost perfect so it was easier to shoot a lower score. I had some nice putts, all the rest of the game was good as well because I only missed one green.

Dean Burmester

“I’m really pleased, I played pretty solid all day and I am pretty happy with where the game is at. I had an up and down week last week, so it’s nice to open with a five under par like that.

“I drove it pretty good, I kept it in play and I think that’s key on this golf course. If you can keep it in play and give yourself chances of birdies, you’re not going to make too many mistakes. I think once you start missing quite a few shots but I managed to roll in a few putts in so it was quite nice.

                                                                   

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