SANYA, China, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Wichanee Meechai and France's Celine Boutier set the early pace at the Sanya Ladies Open on Friday as each shot a five-under 67 to share one shot lead in China's Hainan Island.
China's Pan Yanhong was equal second on 68 in a group of players including Australian
Kristen Farmer, South African Lee-Anne Pace, Korean Lee Solar, Spaniard Marta Sanz Barrio, Icelander Valdis Thora Jonsdottir, Thai Prima Thammaraks, Norwegian Marianne Skarpnord and American Amelia Lewis.
The China LPGA Tour, Ladies European Tour and Asian Ladies Golf Tour co-sanctioned tournament is being played at Yalong Bay Golf Club.
Wichanee, the 2013 Beijing Challenge winner, put together a solid round featuring six birdies and a lone bogey four at the 170-yard fifth hole.
Boutier, a rookie pro who has secured her US LPGA Tour card for next year following two wins on the Symetra Tour, started her round on the Yalong Bay back nine and could only muster a lone birdie four at the 16th hole to make the turn at one-under 35. On her back nine (the front nine), the Duke University alumni turned it on with four birdies in the hot and sunny conditions.
Pan, one of the all-time China LPGA Tour greats with five career wins, put herself in contention with a bogey-free round featuring four birdies after also starting from the Yalong Bay 10th hole.
Defending champion Supamas Sangchan was four strokes back as the Thai teenager opened with a 71 in her early morning round.
Notable scores included China's Liu Yu, who will play on the US LPGA Tour next year, at even-par 72, while compatriot Lin Xiyu, the 2014 Sanya Ladies Open champion, was at two-over 74.
Yalong Bay Golf Club is a 6,456-yard, par-72 layout designed by Robert Trent Jones II.
