Published July 17, 2008 on April 12, 2018

Saxon Carries on Hot Streak in Kunming

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Charlie Saxon continued his fantastic start to 2018 by carding a five under par round of 66 to take a share of the first round lead at the Belt and Road Colourful Yunnan Open.

The American, who is making his European Challenge Tour debut this week, has already won twice on the China Tour this season and arrived at Yulongwan Golf Club knowing he can perform there having finished as a runner-up at the Kunming course in the PGA Tour China Series in 2016.

Despite dropping a shot on the first after an errant tee shot, the 24-year-old rallied with birdies at the third, fifth, sixth and ninth to reach the turn in 34 and keep in touch with morning leaders Sunil Jung and Borja Virto, who set the clubhouse target at five under par.

Three further gains over the back nine followed with Saxon tying the lead after holing a tricky 15-foot putt at the par four 15^th.

Although he was unable to convert another birdie chance at the 18^th – Saxon had hit a stunning approach to five feet from a difficult lie at the corner of a bunker 120 yards from the pin – the American joined England’s Matt Ford, Canada’s Jung and Spain’s Virto at the top of the leaderboard.

Saxon said, “It was a really good day. The conditions out there were difficult and it is a tough course – there’s a lot going on around the greens and with the wind picking up that makes it more challenging – so I just came out and tried to play a solid round of golf.

“My Dad always says ‘you can’t win it on the first day but you can shoot yourself out of it’ so I was happy not to shoot myself out of it.

“I did everything well today. The only mistake was hitting it into the hazard on my first hole but after that I didn’t make any.

“China has been really good to me. For some reason I always play my best golf here and I also have good memories of this course after finishing as a runner-up here two years ago. I’m excited for the rest of the week.”

One adrift of the leaders are Denmark’s Joachim B Hansen and China’s Xue-wen who both signed for four under par rounds of 67.

One further back is a pack of six players including Sweden’s Sebastian Soderberg, who has continued his good start to the 2018 campaign by following his tied sixth place finish in the season-opening Barclays Kenya Open with a three-under-par opening 68 today.

 

Scores after round one:

66 V Borja (Esp) , J Sunil (Can) , S Charlie (USA) , F Matt (Eng) ,
67 H Joachim B. (Den) , L Xue-Wen (Chn) ,
68 J Kristian Krogh (Nor) , Y Sejun (USA) , R Bernd (Ger) , S Sebastian (Swe) , S Taihei (Jpn) ,
69 H Daan (Ned) , C Dinggen (Chn) , T Callum (Eng) , Z Jin (Chn) , S Joël (Fra) , B Todd (Kor) , M Philipp (Ger) , Z Hui-Lin (Chn) , S Ben (Eng) , S Oscar (Swe) , K Jeffrey (USA) ,
70 L Kevin (Kor) , K Tae Woo (Kor) , F Pedro (Por) , K Kim (Fin) , S Joel (Swe) , B Christian (Ger) , L David (Sco) , M Yusuke (Jpn) , F Grant (Sco) , M Robert (Sco) , H Scott (Sco) , M Adrian (Pol) , A Marcus (Eng) , V Nicolai (Ger) ,
71 R Ryann (USA) , P Ben (Eng) , H Mark Flindt (Den) , L Hugo (Chi) , A Maverick (Aus) , K Ross (Sco) , W Tu-Xuan (Chn) , S Reinier (Ned) , M Paul (Eng) , R Victor (Fra) , K Beomsoo (Kor) , W Xiaoli (Chn) , D Jack (Sco) , F Mathieu (Fra) , S Kalle (Fin) ,
72 Y Hao (Chn) , O Martin (Den) , S Jack (Eng) , L José-Filipe (Por) , H Shao-Cai (Chn) , L Francesco (Ita) , M Christopher (Bel) ,
73 H Jeppe Pape (Den) , H Shun Yat (Hkg) , P Garrick (Eng) , C Yi (Chn) , M Jack (Aus) , L Xin-Yang (Chn) , F Dominic (Ger) , L Oscar (Swe) , W Hongfu (Chn) , S Robin (Fra) , M Yiyuan (Chn) , F Simon (Swe) ,
74 A Jarand Ekeland (Nor) , T Luke (Nzl) , S Gary (Fra) , C Hai-Meng (Chn) , H Wen-Yi (Chn) , C Changping (Chn) , M Cheng-Yao (Chn) , H Ze-Yu (Chn) ,
75 G Joel (Sui) , W Sam (Eng) , K Nathan (Eng) , P Mathew (Nzl) , L Thomas (Fra) , X Bowen (Chn) , B Oliver (RSA) , K Anton (Swe) , L Benjamin (USA) , L Oliver (Fin) , Z Jia (Chn) , Z Wei-Yu (Chn) , M Morten Ørum (Den) , C Magnus A (Swe) , P Victor (Fra) ,
76 W Xu (Chn) , P Suteepat (Tha) , Y Yi-Nong (Chn) , K Minkyu (Kor) , S Cormac (Nir) , S Zihan (Chn) ,
77 S Yuto (Jpn) , O Zheng (Chn) , H Zeming (Chn) , L Ding-Feng (Chn) , Y Jian-Feng (Chn) , K Alexander (Ger) , S Duncan (Sco) , C Zi-Hao (Chn) ,
78 L Mikael (Swe) , T Rongjian (Chn) ,
79 Z Guo-Wu (Chn) , C Jian (Chn) , X Qin (Chn) , W Mathew (Eng) ,
80 B Shotaro (USA) , C Xiao Zhong (Chn) , M Bryden (Aus) , L Yanwei (Chn) , Z Zhongyu (a) (Chn) ,
81 H Michael (Nir) ,
82 Y Yongxuan (Chn) , H Ren (Chn) ,
83 W Fraser (Nzl) ,
84 M James (Eng) ,
90 Y Ruyao (Chn) ,
** O Max (Eng) , L Chun (Chn)