Wang one shot clear of the pack in Beijing

The Star

15-05-2025

BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) -- China's Wang Zixuan set the early pace at the Beijing Women's Challenge on Thursday as the 17-year-old, second-year pro carded a five-under 67 in the opening round for a one-shot lead in the capital.
Playing under hot and sunny conditions at Beijing Orient Pearl Golf Club, Lin Qianhui, Lin Xin'en and Shi Yuli were equal second with Shandong amateur Li Menghan on 68 at the RMB500,000 tournament, the fifth leg of the CLPG Tour season.
Wu Tianqi was two shots off the pace in sixth on 69 on a tight leaderboard where 10 players were three shots back on 70.
Defending champion Ren Yijia, the 15-year-old amateur from Dalian, opened her title defence with a one-over 73.
Wang, who started her early morning round from the back nine, took advantage of the soft conditions of the greens which were battered by rain and a hailstorm on Tuesday evening. Her bogey-free round included five birdies.
"The most satisfying part today was definitely going bogey-free. A clean scorecard without any bogeys is important. It just looks and feels right," said the Beijing native, winner of the GolfJoy Women's Open in March.
"The drainage here is excellent and the fairways are rolling nicely. I'm still getting good distance off the tee with my driver. I wasn't feeling 100 percent physically today. I missed a few birdie chances early in the round, but I made up for it by sinking two putts over 30 feet for birdie."
Lin Xin'en, another early starter, carded five birdies and a lone bogey five at the 380-yard eighth hole, her 17th hole, after also beginning from the back nine.
"After making the turn, I struggled a bit over the front nine (her back nine). I missed a few good birdie chances, but I was really pleased to sink an 18-footer for birdie on the eighth hole," said the 19-year-old, second-year pro, a student at Shenzhen University.
"This course has hosted CLPGA events before, but never a high-level junior tournament. I've never had the chance to play here until now."
For Lin Qianhui her bogey-free round was her first in a pro tournament.
"The 68 is also one of my better scores on the CLPGA Tour," said the 20-year-old, a fourth-year pro from Beijing. "Having my coach as my caddie today really helped me avoid making silly mistakes. We'll keep this fantastic partnership going tomorrow."
Li, who has top-five finishes in her last three CLPG Tour starts, continued to impress. Despite fighting a cold, she carded an eagle three from 10 feet at the 499-yard, par-five last to put herself in contention for her first win against a pro field.
"My front nine was relatively steady today, but after making the turn I was clearly fatigued and made a mistake on one hole (the 382-yard 12th). It's also a pity that I missed several makeable putts," said the Weihai teenager, 122nd in World Amateur Golf Ranking. "On the final hole, I didn't overthink it - just went for it boldly and ended up making an eagle."
Shi, another player looking for her first pro win, finished her late afternoon round strongly with four birdies over the last seven holes.
"I drove the ball really well today with my driver, and made several crucial putts from around 20 feet," said the 23-year-old veteran who turned pro in 2018. "The greens here are pure. When you read the line correctly, those long putts tend to drop. That said, I still missed a few makeable short ones that I should've converted."