Alvaro Quiros and Simon Dyson share the first round lead of five under par at the 20th Volvo China Open after the first round at the Genzon Golf Club in Shenzhen.
Reigning champion Brett Rumford, who is looking to become the first man in the tournament’s history to successfully defend the title, is just one stroke off the pace after an opening 68, while his playing partner Henrik Stenson battled a stomach virus to produce a one under 71.
Stenson can replace Tiger Woods as World Number One with victory in China this week.
Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter produced a three under 69 to move into contention.
Key Player Quotes
Alvaro Quiros: “It was a good round of golf. It was a bit of a shame on the last par five because I was half a metre away from having a great chance to make another eagle but I ended up on the lip of the bunker and had to settle for a chip and two putts. It was a good round. My game is improving – You can’t see it yet on the rankings but I have been playing better.”
Simon Dyson: “I have had a bit of success here and really enjoy playing in China. Obviously I have won this tournament before so that always gives you a good feeling and like I said, I just played nicely today so hopefully I can continue to do that over the next three days.”
Brett Rumford: “There is a long way to go and there are a lot of very good players here this week so I just need to try and keep playing and scoring the way I did over the next two rounds and try to get myself into a position where I have a chance to win coming down the back nine on Sunday. That’s what we’re all trying to do over those first three rounds and in that regard today was very much the start I was looking for.”
Henrik Stenson: “The body doesn’t feel great, the stomach is upset. I’m not throwing up but I’m not too keen on eating and my energy levels aren’t the best, but once I got going I felt better than before I teed off and made it around and actually played alright.”
Ian Poulter: “I played nicely – I just had one tee shot that kind of slipped away and bounced into a hazard, and I made a bogey there, but apart from that it was a very clean card. I played nicely, had plenty of chances, rolled a few in and missed a few. A fairly decent start.”
Talking Points
-
Defending champion Brett Rumford and 2000 champion Simon Dyson could become the first player to win a second Volvo China Open.
-
If Henrik Stenson can win at the Genzon Golf Club, he would move ahead of Tiger Woods as Number One on the Official World Golf Ranking by 0.04 of a point.
-
Frenchman Alexander Levy and Korea’s Il-hwan Park will complete their first rounds on Friday morning after bad light saw play suspended for the day. Both men are currently one stroke off the lead with the par five ninth hole to complete.
