Alexander Levy continued his love affair with Genzon Golf Club as the Frenchman carded a flawless six under par 66 to the share the clubhouse lead with South Korean Soomin Lee at the Shenzhen International before the opening round was suspended overnight.
The 25 year old claimed his maiden European Tour title when the Volvo China Open was held at Genzon in 2014 and he got off to the perfect start, birdieing his opening hole – the tenth – before adding three more birdies and an eagle to his tally to move to the top early on.
He was later joined by Lee, who also carded a bogey-free round, minutes before play was suspended overnight due to darkness following a 46-minute lightning suspension earlier in the afternoon.
With 11 groups yet to finish, round one will resume at 6:50am, and South African Brandon Stone will have a chance to join the front-runners as he plays the 18th hole just a shot back on five under par. Meanwhile, five players are in the clubhouse on four under, two shots off the pace.
Alexander Levy (66, -6)
“It’s always nice to shoot under par. I have some very good memories here, and it’s always nice to play a golf course where you have had your first win.
“I just played great today. I played good last week but had a few bad rounds with the wind, and I feel like my game is in a good way now. Today I played solid, like I did in the last round in Valderrama.
“I know this golf course perfectly. I know how to play well here and that’s a help. I have confidence when I approach the ball. I’m just having fun and playing with two good players today helped me to enjoy it so it was a perfect day for me.”
Soomin Lee (66, -6)
“I think this course seems to me to be a bit like Malaysia (where he finished in a share of second place). So that’s good for me – small, narrow greens and heavy rough. I’m just trying to keep it on the fairways and greens and then hopefully hole some putts.
“I’m excited for the rest of the tournament. I feel comfortable, so that’s good for me, and I had a good score to start with.”
Joost Luiten (68, -4)
“It was a good score. I didn’t really start great on the front nine, only one under, and on the back nine I started to hit some better shots. It’s nice to finish with a couple of birdies on 16 and 17.
“It’s a different golf course to Valderrama last week. At the end of the day, you just need to hit good shots and that’s what I did on the back nine, created more birdie chances, and then you can roll them in.
“On the front nine I was just a bit too far away from the pins and then it’s difficult making putts. I’ve got to stay in the same mind set as last week and I’ve done that, so I’m happy.”
Paul Dunne (68, -4)
“It’s a good start. I thought going out that 68 would be a pretty good number to shoot. Looking back on the front nine, which was my back nine, I gave myself a lot of chances that I missed.
“It’s a little disappointing, I had a really good chance on nine. I had a really easy chip for eagle that I just knocked about four feet past and missed it for birdie, so that was a bit disappointing.
“But all in all, I hit the ball really well and drove it great. The greens are quite grainy and I’m not used to it, so I’m struggling to see lines. I did hole a few putts, but I missed a few that normally I’d hope to make. It’s a good start but hopefully I can build on it.”
