Cam Ranh: China's Bai Zhengkai, a graduate from this year's Asian Tour Qualifying School, made a flying start on the opening day of the inaugural International Series Vietnam yesterday, shooting an unblemished eight-under-par 64.
Korean Lee Tae-Hee, helped by two dazzling eagles in his last five holes, India's Honey Baisoya and Lee Chieh-po from Taiwan also began brightly carding 65s to sit in second place -- in what is the Asian Tour's first event in Vietnam for seven years.
Filipino Miguel Tabuena, still in fine form after an outstanding start to the season highlighted by victory in The DGC Open last month, carded a 66, along with Jaco Ahlers from South Africa, Thai Gunn Charoenkul, China's Chen Guxin, American Michael Maguire and Douglas Klein from Australia.
The US$2 million event is being played on a Greg Norman-designed links-style layout at KN Golf Links, in Cam Ranh, Khanh Hoa Province, in the south-central coast region of Vietnam.
"Feels nice, had a good round today," said Bai, whose 64 set a new course record.
"Off the tee was great. I had a lot of wedges into the greens, so I was able to attack a lot of the pins. Made a few putts, it was pretty good.
"The course is kind of open, so I was able to hit some drivers off the tee."
He was in danger of dropping a shot on his last hole, a par four, and had to lay up with his second but managed to get up and down for what he described as his best hole of the day.
India's Anirban Lahiri, the Asian Tour No.1 in 2015 and a seven-time winner on the Tour, carded a 69, current Asian Tour and International Series Order of Merit leader Andy Ogletree from the United States returned a 70 while Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat fired a 71. Hong Kong's Taichi Kho came in with a 72, England's Paul Casey a 74.