Amateur and veteran pro share early lead at CLPG Tour Championship

Rookie pro Fang Yuhan and veteran Hu Jing of Hong Kong, China, set the early pace at the CLPG Tour Championship on Thursday as both players opened with a five-under 67 to share a one-shot lead through 18 holes in Hainan province.

Playing on the Vintage Course at Mission Hills Resort Haikou under cloudy and slightly windy conditions, Chinese veteran Chen Siyan was one shot back after a 68 at the 800,000 yuan ($113,345) tournament, the final event of the CLPG Tour season.

Wang Zixuan, the CLPG Tour points ranking leader, shot a bogey-free round of 69 to sit equal fourth with Beijing amateur Liu Yujie and Hong Kong, China, amateur Sophie Han. Thailand's Chakansim Khamborn and China's Su Wenlu, Shi Yuli, Wang Zhixuan and Ren Yue were three shots off the lead on two-under 70.

Hu, who was the opening-round leader at last week's Wanning Women's Golf Open where she would finish equal ninth, recorded back-to-back birdies three times during her early morning round to go along with a lone bogey at the 427-yard 11th hole.

"I would say my performance today was excellent. I'm giving myself a full 100 points. I don't even want to dwell on the small mistakes or missed putts," said the 24-year-old who continues to look for her first win since turning pro in 2018.

"Last week, when I was leading after the first round, I actually felt so nervous, worried that I might not be able to follow it up in the second round and just hoped to stay steady. But this week my form has been really good. I finally delivered the kind of performance I've been hoping to show in tournaments. My ball-striking today was very strong."

Fang, a two-time winner on the CLPG Q Series development tour, made a birdie three on the last hole, one of five she made on the day, in her bogey-free round. The Shanghai teenager said she was relieved to be playing as last week a high fever forced her to withdraw in Wanning early in the second round.

"Today my irons were really good and I created a lot of birdie opportunities. Most of the shorter holes left me within about five yards, so almost all my birdies came from short putts. My game was very steady throughout the round," said the 18-year-old who turned pro in March.

"The course distance (6,655 yards) this week is manageable for me. My driver distance allows me to carry some of the bunkers, so it doesn't feel too demanding. With so many front pins today, I had plenty of chances to hit short irons into the greens, another major reason I was able to shoot a low score."

Chen, a US-based pro originally from Hangzhou, carded five birdies and a bogey at the 526-yard ninth hole to stay close to the leaders and put herself in contention for her maiden win.

"Overall, I think I played quite well today in all aspects. I had a bit of luck on one or two putts, and my approach shots were solid considering how poorly I performed in that area during the previous tournament," said the 24-year-old who has partial playing status on the Epson Tour in the US next year. "Today I felt my form coming back. My driver was excellent. I hit every fairway and my mid- to long-range putting was also very encouraging."

Pang Runzhi, who is in a must-win situation as the only player with a chance to overtake Wang for the points ranking crown, opened with a five-over 77.

The CLPG Tour Championship is being played on The Vintage course, a 6,655-yard, par-72 layout created by Schmidt-Curley Design at the Mission Hills Resort Haikou.