In a good week for those who enjoy a flutter, The International Series made for the Pearl River Delta and Macau Golf and Country Club. Casinos, towers and a larger gambling revenue than Las Vegas set the backdrop for this week’s round on the Asian Tour.
Portrush man Graeme McDowell would join several LIV Golf heavy hitters among the entries this week, as Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter would turn out to sprinkle a bit of showbiz throughout the field. McDowell, twice a winner in Singapore and Hong Kong, would have to battle early after bogeys on the par-4 second and third.
The 2010 US Open Champion would dig deep to recover those shots on the par-3 sixth and again on nine to turn at level par. A blemish free second nine would follow. However neat and tidy, McDowell would end the day losing ground to the leader and the chasing pack, with his par 70 only enough to leave him tied in 97th place after the first round of the week.
China’s Haotong Li, playing alongside McDowell, set the early pace on the par-70, idyllic coastal course. Li went around in 63 to leave himself one shot clear after a confidence boosting eight birdies with only a single bogey to blot his card in a fine round. A five under outward nine was just the shot in the arm the 28-year-old would have hoped for following a top-10 finish in the Dubai Desert classic which helped banish any memories of a disastrous run of form in 2023.
Two of the LIV contingent would provide the strongest challenge to Li’s lead with Chilean Mito Pereira and Pat Perez from the US joining Japan’s Yuto Sugiura on six under after 64s. 2018 Green Jacket winner Patrick Reed sits in good position with a group of eleven players a further shot back on five under for the day. Two-time winner of the Macau Open, Australia’s Scott Hend will look to make amends having unfortunately come up short a fortnight ago in the New Zealand Open.
The young Japanese sensation will be one to watch going into tomorrow. Having just turned professional, and after winning the Dunlop Pheonix as an amateur last year, Sugiura would have shared the lead at the end of today but for his only bogey of the round on his final hole. Expect big things to come from this highly rated young man.
Speaking after his lead out round Li gave his thoughts on a satisfying score. “Played really solid, gave myself a lot of birdie chances”, he said. “I wasn’t comfortable with some of the tee shots, but it was a solid day. This is my fourth or fifth time here. This time around the experience is a little better and hopefully I can keep playing like this and see how we go. I was just hoping to play steady today. No way did I think I would shoot seven under,” said a delighted Li.
Some big names with much work to do to make the weekend at this second International Series event of ‘24, the fourth instalment of this years Asian Tour. Sergio Garcia languishes on two-over after a bogey laden round of 72.
There was better fortune for England’s Ian Poulter with two bogeys and four birdies bringing the Ryder Cup madman around in good shape at two under for the day, while Anthony Kim’s first full-field event in 12 years saw the American struggle to a four-over 74, making two birdies but offsetting these with four bogeys and a double to lie tied for 136th in the 144-man field.
McDowell will look to push tomorrow as he goes around with overnight leader Li and Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent. The leader’s group will tee off at 7.05am local time on the Pearl River Delta with the prospects of another good round of scoring ahead. The Portrush man will look to post a low number to see himself into the weekend in the Vegas of the East.
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