Paul Casey began the defence of his TCL Classic crown in China with an impressive seven-under-par 65 on Thursday - but felt he could have gone lower.

　　"I'm obviously happy with that - it's very productive and just the start I wanted," said the English ace.

　　"At the same time, I hit 17 greens in regulation and had lots of chances, so I'm a little bit frustrated with seven-under - it's rare to be able to say that, but today was one of those days.

　　"I had a lot of opportunities and a lot of putts that slipped by, but that just bodes well for the rest of the week."

　　Casey's opening effort left him three shots off the lead - jointly held by China's Liang Wen Chong and American Edward Loar - at the TCL Classic, being held at Yalong Bay Golf Club in Sanya on the southern island of Hainan.

　　He eagled two of the par-fives and drained three birdie putts on the same course where he triumphed 12 months ago in a playoff against Paul McGinley.

　　"I had nice, calm conditions this morning and took advantage of that," added Casey, 28.

　　"It's rare to have two eagles in a round - I can't remember the last time I did that - and I'm looking forward to the next three rounds if that golf continues.

　　"I have lots of good memories of the course and I haven't forgotten how to plot my way round and give myself a chance to score well. I feel very comfortable around this golf course and that was evident today."

　　Casey is one of the favourites for the TCL Classic, which is co-sanctioned by the European and Asian Tours and promoted by Parallel Media Asia.

　　Other players in the world-class field include current European No.1 David Howell, last year's runner-up McGinley and rising English star Nick Dougherty, together with the cream of Asia's best players.

　　Casey, ranked 57th in the world, is looking for a win at the TCL Classic to propel him into the top 50 and secure an automatic invitation to The Players Championship in the US next week.

　　That would set him for a spot in the year's first Major, the Masters, if he could maintain his top-50 ranking.

　　"The goal this week is to win, because I don't think second place is going to be good enough to get me into The Players Championship," he said.

　　"And I need to get into The Players Championship because after that I need to be in the top 50 to get into the Masters.

　　"I hope to be at Augusta but we have three more days' golf left. The focus is this week and trying to defend my title. If I can do that, then hopefully I will be at Augusta."

　　ENDS