World No. 1,426 takes lead in China Open

Jin cards six birdies and an eagle to lead Wallace and Bertasio by one shot

China’s Daxing Jin was the surprise early leader of the Volvo China Open after shooting an openinground eight-under par 64 at the Beijing Huairou Topwin Golf and Country Club.

Jin, the world No. 1,426 who plays mainly on the China Tour and has never made the cut at the event, carded six birdies and an eagle to lead England’s Matt Wallace and Italian Nino Bertasio by just one shot after what was a blemish-free round in the RMB 20 million tournament.

“I have to give myself full marks for today’s performance,” smiled 25-year-old Jin. “It was a smooth day, I hit 17 greens in regulation and made par on the one that I missed. My game-plan tomorrow will be the same as today — stay relaxed and play one stroke at a time.

“I’ve played this event five or six times but never made the cut so hopefully this week will be a turning point as this tournament means so much to the Chinese players. The Volvo China Open has given us a gateway to the world stage and I’m aiming to do my best this week.”

For Wallace, two missed cuts in his last two events seemed a distant memory as seven birdies and an eagle helped him into the clubhouse with a 65 (-7).

Elsewhere, Japan’s Hideto Tanihara — who also shot a level par 72 — had a profitable opening day with the Japanese star collecting the keys to a brand-new Volvo XC90 T5 Momentum thanks to a spectacular hole-in-one from the 39-year-old on the 212yard, par three 16th.