Haotong Li has won six times as a pro, but he would love for his first PGA Tour victory to come at home in China.
The 24-year-old Li posted an 8-under-par 64 to take a one-stroke lead over Victor Perez of France after the first round of the WGC-HSBC Champions at Sheshan International Golf Club www.sheshangolf.com/en/ in Shanghai.
“Today is a pretty good start and good beginning,” said Li, who has won twice on the European Tour. “Obviously it would be great joy for Chinese golfers and Chinese golf fans to have a Chinese player winning a WGC-HSBC Champions here in China, but for the next three days, anything could happen.
“So I don’t want to think too much about it. I just want to focus and concentrate on the upcoming three days because anything can happen. I just want to do a good job to keep this momentum going for the next three days.”
Li collected five birdies on the back nine after starting at No. 10 and eagled the second hole to offset his only bogey at No. 1, then birdied the third and eighth to grab sole possession of the lead.
Perez, who has won four times as a pro including the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the Euro Tour in September, eagled No. 14 in his 65, while defending champion and ninth-ranked Xander Schauffele of La Jolla and San Diego State birdied four straight holes on the back nine en route to a 66 and is tied for third with Adam Scott of Australia, Sungjae Im of South Korea and Matthew Fitzpatrick of England.
Second-ranked Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland collected five birdies on the front nine in a 67 and is tied for seventh with Corey Conners of Canada, who eagled the second hole, and Matthias Schwab of Austria, who birdied four of the last five holes.
Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa made a hole in one on the 200-yard sixth hole on his way to a 68 and is tied for 10th with Xinjun Zhang of China, Danny Willett of England and Abraham Ancer of Mexico. Willett and Ancer both eagled No. 2.
Eighth-ranked Justin Rose of England shot 69 and is tied for 19th, while two-time WGC-HSBC champion Phil Mickelson is tied for 41st at 71 and Open champion Shane Lowry of Ireland finished at 72 and is tied for 48th.
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