Chan powers to three-stroke lead in OCT debut

　　Chan Yihshin of Chinese Taipei enjoyed a memorable debut on the Omega China Tour by shooting a five-under-par 67 for a three-stroke lead after the first round of the US$100,000 Guangzhou Championship.

　　Chan finished clear of compatriot Hsu Mongnan and Liao Guiming, who both posted 70. Defending champion Zhang Lianwei was joint-seventh after finishing with a 72.

　　The tournament is being played at the Dragon Lake Golf Club outside Guangzhou and is the opening event of the 10-leg circuit.

　　"I had a really good round. I was even happy with my bogeys," said Chan, who played the course for the first time on Tuesday. "I find the whole course challenging, but I like the layout and it suits my game."

　　Chan began his round on the 10th hole and recorded birdies on holes 11 and 14, but they were offset by back-to-back bogeys on holes 16 and 17.

　　However, a birdie on the par-four 18th set him up for a great front nine, where he birdied four holes – including three of the last four – to set the early pace in the event, which has attracted a Tour record field of 129 players.

　　Chan finished third on the Order of Merit on his domestic circuit last year, after two victories and a runner-up finish in five appearances.

　　He and Hsu came to Guangzhou as the tournament's two invites from Chinese Taipei, and both are looking to become the first non-mainland player to win on the Tour.