Sebastian Söderberg continued his remarkable recent run of form as a bogey-free nine under par 63 earned him a share of the first round lead at the Volvo China Open.
Related: Li Haotong harnessing home advantage in Volvo China Open
The Swede, who currently leads the Asian Swing Rankings following back-to-back runner up finishes, carded nine birdies to move alongside Frenchman Romain Langasque who had set the target earlier in the day at Hidden Grace Golf Club.
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Langasque was in the fourth group to go out on Thursday morning, starting on the back nine, and it did not take long for the 28-year-old to get in the red numbers. He picked up a shot at the 11th before a stunning run of seven in a row at the turn to sit at nine under par. Söderberg joined him at the top of the leaderboard following his own five-hole birdie stretch.
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The pair are one stroke ahead of home favourite Li Haotong, who carded eight birdies in his bogey-free 64 and sits in third position. The three-time DP World Tour winner was delighted to be able to give the home crowds something to cheer about as the Volvo China Open, which is co-sanctioned with the Chinese Golf Association (CGA), returned to the Race to Dubai schedule for the first time in five years.
Söderberg has set his sights on a third Major appearance, with the top three players on the Asian Swing Rankings at the conclusion of the Volvo China Open earning a spot in the PGA Championship later this month.
Three-time DP World Tour winner Guido Migliozzi, Frenchman Julien Guerrier and Czech Gordan Brixi share fourth place after the trio posted seven under par opening rounds of 65.
Player Quotes
Sebastian Söderberg: I was really solid off the tee today. I put myself in good positions, hit a lot of good wedge shots and I was also able to take advantage of the par-fives. I have been working hard on my mental game over the last few years. I’ve tried to remain focussed and patient out on the course and take it one shot at a time.
It would be really nice to come out on top and win the Asian Swing. This is the first Swing I have been in contention for. There is a spot in the Major up for grabs this month so naturally you will always pay a little extra attention to that. I need to take each shot at a time and not get ahead of myself.
My schedule is looking pretty good right now in terms of the tournaments coming up but I’m trying not to think about that.
Romain Langasque: The last time I played here I finished in fifth place. I like this course and I like the way you have to plot your way round. I’ll be honest and admit that I didn’t believe that I could shoot nine under par today so I’m delighted.
It gives me confidence that I have played well on this golf course in the past and I felt comfortable out there today. I didn’t try too hard today and that approach paid off.
My iron game was good today and I gave myself so many birdie opportunities and the putter was working nicely too. The course is in fantastic condition given the rain that we have had. There was a bit of wind this morning but other than that I think we had perfect conditions out there today.
Li Haotong: I’ve been playing really solid over the last few weeks. My putting has been very good and hopefully I can continue this momentum for the rest of the week.
I was expecting a lot of attention and media requests this week and having played this event in the past, I am used to it. I am really enjoying the experience of playing in front of home crowds. The atmosphere is amazing and I have a lot of people following me around this course.
You need to be good off the tee around here and then make sure that you hole your putts. Hopefully I can keep doing the same as today and I’ll be in a good position on Sunday.
Guido Migliozzi: I started very well today. I hit some great shots into the greens and managed to hole some putts too. I’m very happy and it’s a good opening score.
The course is in great condition and the greens are rolling very nice. Putting the ball in position off the tee is key around here and I drove the ball very well today.
My goal this season is to try and get back to competing at the top of the leaderboard and put myself into contention for winning tournaments again. If I can do that then I’ll be a lot happier on the course.