Three players share the lead after the first round of the 2026 Aramco China Championship played on the World Cup Course at Mission Hills China in Shenzhen.
English duo Annabell Fuller and Charlotte Heath were joined at the top of the leaderboard by China’s Liqi Zeng after they all fired rounds of 65 (-8).
Fuller was bogey-free on the opening day in Shenzhen rolling in birdies on the first, second, fourth, ninth, 11th, 13th, 16th and 18th holes.
“I played really nicely. I’ve been hitting it nicely for a while, so it’s nice to have a round where the putts dropped and that reflected with lots of birdies. I didn’t really get myself into much trouble, I hit it pretty straight,” said Fuller.
“There’s a lot of runoffs on the fairways and not just the greens. Knowing where for me not hitting driver is quite important or being able to hit driver and just accept the fact you might have a downhill lie, but it gives you an opportunity.
“My dad said just keep waiting and it will come and I kept with it. It’s really easy to get your head down and I have missed quite a lot of cuts by one shot, so that’s always tough and not enjoyable but I had fun out there with Nuria [Iturrioz] and Patricia [Schmidt]. It was a good round, so it’s nice it went my way.”
England’s Heath, who won the 2026 La Sella Open, had nine birdies on her scorecard and one bogey.
“I didn’t have my best ball striking, but my putter was extremely hot, so that was very nice. My chipping was really good. My short clubs were good, my long clubs were a little iffy, but it was enough to be okay,” said Heath.
“Honestly, the golf course is in great condition. Any golf course in great condition is a nice golf course. It’s pretty similar to home with the bermuda, so it’s nice to be in a familiar territory.
“My results haven’t been good though [since La Sella]. I’ve been struggling health-wise since London, so I think that’s more it. It’s getting towards the end of the season and getting tired.”
China’s Zeng also had a flawless first day making birdies on holes one, five, six, eight, 10, 11, 14 and 18 in front of a home crowd.
“Everything is good. My putter is [doing] very well. I made a 10-yard birdie, so it was a nice day. This course is good for me. I like the second shots, they’re easy for me and my putter is good too,” said Zeng.
“Tomorrow, I will just try my best. I like playing tournaments in China, I have more friends here and good food as well. Tomorrow, I will just focus on my tempo and try to focus on every shot.”
Chinese amateur Yujie Liu is in solo fourth place on seven-under-par after an opening round of 66 (-7).
16-year-old Liu got off to a hot start with birdies on holes 10 and 12 before rolling in six consecutive birdies on holes 14 through to the first.
The teenager dropped a shot on the fifth hole, but sits just one shot off the lead on seven-under-par.
“My front nine was on fire. Every approach shot and every single shot was perfect. I had an incredible round, and I loved the other players in my group. Cass [Alexander] is a wonderful player, and I’m super honoured to get the opportunity to play with her today. Overall, it was super fun,” said the amateur.
“Today was so smooth, it was like a fairytale front nine. Obviously, I’m playing really good from driver to approach shots, and chipping and putting. Everything is great. I just had an incredible round with Cass and Yijia Ren.
“I’m incredibly close with her because we play together on the CLPGA Tour. I’m super honoured and grateful to have the opportunity to play Cass today, she’s an amazing player and person. I chatted with her and also her caddie, they’re amazing people and super funny.
“I play a lot of tournaments in a year and also a lot of different tournaments with CLPGA, LPGA, JLPGA and also ANWA – the high amateur tournaments. I love to compete and love to be out here. To play and perform and have the crowds and just experience those really good opportunities. The course is in really good condition. It’s a really fun week and I’m excited for another few rounds.”
Three players are in a tie for fifth place with Sweden’s Moa Folke, England’s Mimi Rhodes and Thailand’s Pimnipa Panthong all on six-under-par.
One shot further back are the trio of Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes, defending champion Ruixin Liu and 2026 LET Order of Merit winner Casandra Alexander in T8.
