Volvo China Open 2016: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Hennie Otto finds himself top of the pile on Day 1 at the Volvo China Open, with a sublime 63 giving the South African a two-shot lead.

Seven birdies and an eagle made up Otto’s stunning nine-under par round, as he blazed his was around the Topwin Golf and Country Club on Thursday morning. Closest to him is Bernd Wiesberger, who made his way round in 65.

Here’s a look at the leaderboard following a day of low scoring in Beijing and a more detailed account of how the action panned out as this competition kickstarted. 

For the full leaderboard, check out the European Tour website.

Otto Sets Searing Pace in Beijing

An early start for Otto gave him the chance to post a stunning round, one that will be extremely difficult for any player to beat this week.

Not only did the South African play sensibly to preserve a bogey-free scorecard, he was ruthless when lining up the succession of excellent putting chances he had conjured for himself. Starting on the 10th tee, the first nine was solid enough, with birdies coming at 11, 15 and 17. But it was in the second half of his round that Otto kicked up a gear.

Consecutive birdies at the par three second and the difficult third put him on five under, before a shot was picked up at both five and seven. 

To round off a stunning opening day, the world No. …

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