Shenzhen International 2016: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Alexander Levy and Soomin Lee are joint leaders of the Shenzhen International at the conclusion of Day 1.

The duo both shot impressive rounds of 66, putting them on six under for the competition. Brandon Stone is just a shot back on five under par, although he was unable to conclude his round, with play called off prematurely due to poor conditions.

In an impressive field at the Genzon Golf Club, there were memorable moments to savour on Thursday. Here are some of the standout ones and a glimpse at how the leaderboard is shaping up at the end of play.

Position	Player	Score	Overall
T1	Alexander Levy	-6	66
T1	Soomin Lee	-6	66
3	Brandon Stone	-5	17
T4	Eduardo de la Riva	-4	68
T4	Raphael Jacquelin	-4	68
T4	Joost Luiten	-4	68
T4	Paul Dunne	-4	68
T4	Gary Stal	-4	68

For the full leaderboard, check out the European Tour website.

Levy and Lee Set Early Pace

The Genzon course was set up to give players a lot of scoring chances on Day 1, as Levy and Lee put together brilliant rounds to get their quests for glory underway.

Levy is a player who knows this course particularly well, having won his first-ever event on the European Tour in Genzon in the Volvo China Open in 2014. He used all of his experience around the 18 holes to put together an immaculate round of golf.

The Frenchman began on the back nine and was in sensational form from the off. He picked up shots at the 10th and the 13th before a brilliant eagle at the 17th. Another birdie at 18 completed a stunning first nine in just 31.

Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

Levy wasn’t as hot in the second half of his round, although he did produce this magnificent approach from the sand at the seventh on his way to an eventual 66:

“I have some very good memories here, and it's always nice to play this golf course when you have your first win,” Levy said afterward, per the European Tour website. “I just played great today, and I played well last week and a few bad rounds with the wind. I feel my game is in a good way.”

There’s a lot of players in close quarters, though, including Lee, who was wonderful on the day. Three birdies on the front nine and three on the back nine gave his scorecard balance and an eventual six-under. The 22-year-old is a clear talent, although he has yet to win on the European Tour.

Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

While there was some low scoring, the course did bare its teeth at times. As we can see here, James Morrison seemed to be making a strong run for the finish in the latter stages of his round:

However, he shot a double bogey at 16 and dropped another shot at 17—errors that sent him tumbling back down the leaderboard.

Morrison and a host of players are clear of the top-ranked player in the field, though. That man is world No. 4 Bubba Watson, who struggled to make the most of his chances on Day 1.

He was solid enough, shooting 15 pars in his round. His typical spark wasn’t there, though, as he could only find a couple of birdies that were offset by a dropped shot at the sixth.

Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

Bad weather and then low light meant play was called off for the day with a few players still out on course. Miguel Angel Jimenez, who finished one under, seemed pleased to have completed his round:

Levy’s local knowledge will put him in a brilliant position over the course of the weekend, and it’s clear his game is in decent order indeed after some of his shotmaking on Thursday.

Still, with players like Watson, Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Victor Dubuisson in the field and still in the mix—all golfers capable of shooting low scores on any given day—the Frenchman will have to be at his absolute best if he’s to go wire-to-wire in Shenzhen.