Koepka opens with a 64 to lead HSBC Champions

SHANGHAI — U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka turned a sure birdie into a bogey and then turned a certain bogey into an unlikely birdie. It added to an 8-under 64 and a one-shot lead Thursday after the opening round of the HSBC Champions.

“Any time you can get off to a good start and be close to the lead or have the lead, that’s what you want,” Koepka said.

He had a one-shot lead over Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, who dressed in black in honor of the five-day funeral that began at home for King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Gavin Green also opened with a 65, while Patrick Reed and Haydn Porteous of South Africa were another shot back.

Koepka might not have drawn up his round quite like this.

Starting on the 10th hole under abundant sunshine at Sheshan International, he capped off the back nine with a 7-iron into 20 feet on the 17th for birdie and then a massive drive on the par-5 18th that left him only a 6-iron to 20 feet, which he holed for an eagle.

He already was 6 under for the round and looked to go even lower with a shot into 4 feet at No. 3.

Instead, he three-putted in shocking fashion for a bogey. Koepka answered with a pair of birdies from short range to tie for the lead, and then chose to play the par-5 eighth hole conservatively with a 3-iron off the tee to keep it in the fairway.

Instead, he pulled the shot so far left that it wound up in a tiny creek. Enough of the ball was above water that Koepka decided to blast out. He removed his shoes, stepped into the creek and managed to get back out to the fairway, though he was still 275 yards away to a green guarded by more water.

Koepka ripped a 3-wood onto the green, and then made birdie from about 20 feet behind the cup.

“Hit an awful 3-iron that went in the water,” Koepka said. “Was fortunate enough to be able to find it, hit it and advance it and gut it out and hit a great 3-wood right at the flag,” he said. “We were laughing. I mean, it was almost destiny to be the birdie the way it was. Just very fortunate, I guess, on that hole.”

Koepka hasn’t played since the Presidents Cup and arrived in Shanghai for the start of a four-week Asian adventure — the final World Golf Championships event of the year, two weeks of holiday on the beaches of Vietnam and Thailand, and then defending his title in the Dunlop Phoenix on the Japan Golf Tour.