Kobori, Hillier start in top-10 in Shanghai
- NZ Sports Wire
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
New Zealand golfers Kazuma Kobori and Daniel Hillier sit in the top-10 after their opening rounds on the DP World Tour.
Kobori is tied for third and Hillier in a share of eighth in windy conditions during the first round of the China Open at the Enhance Anting Golf Club in Shanghai on Thursday, sitting five and six shots back of the lead.
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Starting from the 10th hole in the afternoon, Kobori birdied his opening hole, before three straight birdies and four in a five-hole span from the 17th to third holes.
The 23-year-old Cantabrian's lone bogey in a four-under 67 came at the par-three fifth. He birdied all three par-fives, while he was one-over on the four par-threes.
Finn Tapio Pulkkanen leads the tournament after a course-record nine-under 62, which featured seven birdies and an eagle.
Hillier, currently seventh in the DP World Tour's Race to Dubai Rankings, had a rougher start to his three-under 68, among the late groups off the first.
The 26-year-old bogeyed the second and sixth holes, before getting his round going with three birdies in four holes around the turn. He finished his round bogey-birdie-eagle, going from 38th after 16 holes to eighth.
Play was suspended due to darkness with 13 golfers still to finish their first rounds. There are no changes to second round tee times, with Kobori going off from the first tee at 6.30am (10.30am NZT) and Hillier from the 10th at 7.20am (11.20am NZT).
Meanwhile, Ryan Fox is tied for 68th after the first round of the PGA Tour's Corales Puntacana Championship.
Fox managed five birdies and three bogeys in a two-under 70 at the Puntacana Resort - Corales Course on Thursday (Friday NZT) to sit eight strokes behind the leader, American Joel Dahman.
Starting on the 10th hole, 37-year-old Fox had a largely uneventful start to his round, with a birdie and eight pars on his first-nine. He made just two pars on his second-nine, with birdies at the fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth, and bogeys at the first, second and ninth.
A birdie-birdie finish has seen Harry Hillier make the cut, his sixth straight, at the Korn Ferry Tour's Suncoast Classic in Florida.
Following an opening round 69, Hillier made six birdies, a bogey and double-bogey in a three-under 68 at the Lakewood National Golf Club on Thursday (Friday NZT), making the cut on the number at five-under, seven back of the lead.
Further back at their tournaments are fellow Kiwi golfers Sam Jones and Fiona Xu.
Jones had an eagle, five bogeys and a double-bogey in a five-over 75 in the opening round of the HotelPlanner Tour's Abu Dhabi Challenge, leaving him 12 shots off the pace and in danger of missing the cut.
At the LPGA Tour's LA Championship in California, rookie professional Xu had two birdies, five bogeys and a double-bogey in a five-over 77 in the first round, putting her tied for 143rd, 14 strokes back of the lead.