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James Porteous

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LEADERBOARD 
READ ALL OUR HONG KONG OPEN COVERAGE HERE
Italian Andrea Pavan and Taiwan's Lu Wei-chih led after the first round of the UBS Hong Kong Open on Thursday, with big names Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell in hot pursuit. 
Pavan and Lu set the pace early in the day, shooting 64s and holding the clubhouse lead until the end of round one. Lu's form was all the more impressive as he continues to recover from surgery on a brain tumour.

But world No.7 Rose, the highest-ranked player in the field, and fellow major winner McDowell, showed their class late on as they shot -5 and -4 respectively after impressive form on the back nine. The third member of their marquee group, America's Dustin Johnson, had a frustrating one-under 69 after missing a host of birdie chances.
Ryder Cup star Ian Poulter, who was a last-minute addition to the field, had an impressive 67 for three under par.
Also on -5 were India's Jeev Milkha Singh and Pan Cheng-tsung of Taiwan.
With free entry on the first day thanks to new title sponsor UBS, there was a record-breaking Thursday crowd of 10,112, crushing the attendances of recent first days (2014 - 3,716, 2013 - 3,023, 2012 - 5,749, 2011 - 3,863)
Fairly happy with that result today... 3 under par and left a few out there. Fair chance of a little snooze in the courtesy car to hotel.
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) October 22, 2015
READ MORE > 3 things to look out for on Day 2

Day 1 leaders: 
-6 Lu Wei-chih, Andrea Pavan
-5 Pan Cheng-tsung, Justin Rose, Jeev Milkha Singh
-4 Kevin Phelan, SSP Chawrasia, Oliver Fisher, Lucas Bjerregaard, Rahil Gangjee, Graeme McDowell
 
5.15pm
Justin Rose had an impressive 65 on his return to Hong Kong Golf Club. He missed the cut last time, but is looking a lot better poised this year. His reaction: 
"Yesterday in the Pro-Am, I didn't make a birdie all day, and was struggling. Fooch gave me a little bit of a swing tip, said I looked a little back on my heels and posture and stuff. Amazing how you can make a simple adjustment like that and began to build some confidence today.

"Played a really good, solid patient round of golf. I even putted pretty well today, a lot of putts slid by the edge but very happy with 65. It's a good start to the tournament."
Rose had one birdie on the front nine before adding four more on the back in a flawless round.
"Yeah, to shoot 4-under on the back nine was obviously good," he added. 
"Just took a couple chances and made the most of a couple chances. Rolled in a couple of putts.
"Set some momentum, because I felt like I was playing better than 1-under on the front nine. I had some chances that were sliding by the edge.
"It's obviously very early in the tournament. No need to do anything different tomorrow. Keep the ball in play and keep the same strategy and keep trying to execute the same shots.
"It's a great platform in which to build, don't have to chase anything. Allows the luxury of being patient occasionally. In 72 holes, you're always going to have your slightly flat spell, so it's nice to get off to a good start."
READ ALL OUR HONG KONG OPEN COVERAGE HERE
 
5pm
Some more reaction from Ian Poulter, who shot an impressive 67 having flown in from the US only yesterday. (More on why he had to make the mad dash here) 
"Monday morning, I had a text message from Keith Waters [European Tour COO] to say: 'Would like a call, as soon as possible, please.'

"So I called him and he explained the situation [that Poulter faced missing out on the WGC Champions and thus losing his European Tour membership, and Ryder Cup eligibilty, having not played the requisite number of events].
"I then explained the situation that I don't have a passport, as it stands. So we then find out from the tracking number that it was supposed to arrive on Tuesday morning, first thing, which is good.
"He then says he's been talking to Mr. Beem, Rich Beem, which was awfully nice of him to agree to not take his invite.
"So Tuesday, I was at the hotel where the kids are, Katie, my wife is looking after, chaperoning a couple of the kids for the week.
"Dash home; woke up at six o'clock, because I was worried about if the FedEx man didn't get me to sign for my passport. 7.15 it arrived and I was in a car at 8am on the way to Orlando airport to catch a jet to get to New York to catch a Cathay Pacific flight to get me here for 8pm last night.
"I saw Rich Beem in the hotel, so I went over and said, that's awfully kind of him to do that. He didn't have to but he was nice enough to do that, and yeah, I think thanked him for that."
 

4.45pm 
Pars all round for the marquee group, McDowell getting up and down from a tough lie in a bunker on 18 to finish on 66, Rose on 65 and Dustin Johnson on 69. 
The American might not be best pleased with his day, having missed umpteen chances with the putter, but if he can get some form on the greens he'll be in with a shout. 
But the Englishman and Northern Irishman will be more than happy, finding some momentum on the back nine after slow starts.
Of the 15 players still on the course, Chan Kim of the US (-4 after 14) looks the likeliest to mount a late charge, though Rahil Gangjee is still on -4 with two to play

4.30pm
Just been down the scorer's hut to hear from a couple of players. Ian Poulter's finished on three under, an impressive 67 after only arriving in HK at 8pm last night following his mad dash to get here. 
"Overall I've played pretty neatly on a course I've had to get to know again pretty quickly," said the former champion.
"Fanling suits my game, it's about positioning and I positioned it pretty well today."
Poulter's caddy for the week was local club pro Alan Gibson from Scotland, who admitted he "just tried to keep quiet and stay out of the way". He's been at Hong Kong Golf Club for 9 months and actually caddied for Poulter before when he and Justin Rose opened their course at Gibson's last place of work, Mission Hills in Shenzhen.
Meanwhile, Justin Rose is coming down the 18th having notched another birdie on 17 to move to -5. He'll surely be in contention come Sunday.
Fellow Ryder Cup star and major winner Graeme McDowell is one further back on -4 having also birdied 17
Another birdie from @JustinRose99. Now just one shot back. #UBSHKOpen https://t.co/33DBnI3YeN
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) October 22, 2015
4pm
DUSTIN JOHNSON HOLES A PUTT KLAXON!!! Finally one drops for the American as he birdies 15 after 11 pars in a row. 
Meanwhile, big Dane Lucas Bjerregaard has steamed into the group on -4, with five birdies in his last 6 holes. He's coming down 18 now. 

3.30pm
Well, well, well - the big guns have finally begun to fire as we come down to the closing holes.
Justin Rose blasted a monster drive on 13 to reach the par-5 green in 2, and birdie there was swiftly followed by another on 14. Graeme McDowell ticking along still on -3, and one of the other major winners in the field, South Korea's YE Yang, has birdied 13 to join him on that mark. 
For Dustin Johnson, the frustration continues as he misses yet another six-foot birdie effort on 14. He could conceivably be on -8 if his putter had been hot today. He's not even coming close which is worrying, leaving them six inches to a foot wide.
When you hit it 320 yards into the wind. #UBSHKOpen pic.twitter.com/zaP6SVAxBZ
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) October 22, 2015

3pm 
The little-known (well, at least to me) Rahil Gangjee has sneaked up towards the top of the leaderboard, with his fourth birdie of the day on No.1 (his 10th hole). 
Another Indian, Jeev Milkha Singh, has had back-to-back birdies on 13 and 14 to join Gangjee on -4.
And still another, Anirban Lahiri, very nearly joined them with a massive eagle effort on 13 that missed by a hair. The birdie tap-in takes him to -3
As for the bigger names in the field, it continues to be something of a slog, with pars the order of the day all round. Dustin Johnson's missed quite a few today from around the 6 - 8 feet mark, which is part of the reason why he's had 9 pars in a row. Poulter's just missed a 20-footer on 13 and remains at -1.
2.30pm
Graeme McDowell ticking along nicely, the big Ulsterman birdieing 10 for his fourth of the day. He's -3 with eight to play, while playing partner Justin Rose (-2 after also birdieing 10) is also nicely poised.
Ian Poulter also had a 3 on 10 in the group ahead, but that was after bogies on 8&9, the jet lag perhaps kicking in. He's on -1. 
India's Anirban Lahiri is going well too, -2 after 10. 
You know you’re having a good season, when this is “a push”. https://t.co/9KPbOTOHkS
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) October 22, 2015
2pm
Not a heck of a lot of leaderboard-troubling action in the last half-hour, with the late starters just coming up on their back nines. 
England's Richard McEvoy is looking lively, -3 after 10 with four birdies in his front 9. He needs to finish in the top four to avoid a trip to Q-School. 
Ian Poulter's just bogied No.8 to go back to -1, while Rose (-1), McDowell (-1) and Johnson (0) continue solidly and unspectacularly after seven holes. 
 
1.30pm 
Andrea Pavan needs to finish second or better this week to keep his European Tour card, and with a quarter of the job done, he's looking good. Here's what he had to say about his first round 64. 
"Yeah, it's a great round of golf. I can't complain," he said. "This golf course, it's not very long, but it's tricky. So just one bogey out there, and made a few saves. But towards the end, I hit some lovely irons and obviously converted a few chances for birdies. So that was very good.
"This year has been a struggle to say the least. I'm just trying to dig deep and really look forward to every week. Obviously this is the last of the year, and then I'm looking to go to Q-School. So it's all about just giving myself chances.
"I still feel like I'm lacking a bit of confidence. Today I've managed to play very well for about 15 holes and then I had the occasional bad shot. 
"So today I got away with it a couple times. It's all about just waiting. I know I have what it takes. It's been tough last year and this year, but it's all a learning curve and I really hope I can make the next step soon."
1.15pm 
Andrea Pavan's joined Lu Wei-chih in the clubhouse on six under after a superb flawless back nine of four birdies. He's 191st on the Race to Dubai - you need to be in the top 110 to keep your Tour card - so really needs a big week.
India's SSP Chawrasia is right on the cusp at 111 and he is nicely poised too after day one. Five birdies in a row from his fourth hole had him looking set for a storming round, but apart from a bogey on No.3, he was level par for the rest of the day. 
Meanwhile, as for the big names: Ian Poulter - only playing in a last ditch bid to remain a European Tour member - is off to a good start, birdies on the first two par-3s (2 and 5). He's a former winner and knows the course well, even if he did have to scramble to get here.
Top three-ball of the day is as follows after four holes: Graeme McDowell and Justin Rose at -1, Dustin Johnson on level par
Co-clubhouse leader Lu Wei-chih hits a beautiful iron shot on 17 which results in a birdie @EuropeanTour #UBSHKOpen https://t.co/cu82A5qunS
— Asian Tour (@asiantourgolf) October 22, 2015
 
12.45pm
Just been for a spot of lunch and a wander round the much expanded fan zone area by the first tee. The injection of cash from new sponsors UBS has certainly made a world of difference at Fanling compared to the last couple of tournaments, and there's a real buzz about the place on a hot Thursday afternoon.
Back on the course, Andrea Pavan from Italy looks set to join Lu as joint early leader - four birdies in his last five holes has him at -6 with one to play. Pan Cheng-tsung missed a chance to join his fellow Taiwanese on -6 when he could only par the 10th, his last, but a solitary bogey sees him finish on 65.
Meanwhile the big guns are off in a mouthwatering three ball - Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose and Dustin Johnson. 
The ever graceful swing of World Number 7 @JustinRose99 #UBSHKOpen pic.twitter.com/80kyiaJc7o
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) October 22, 2015
 
12pm
Lu Wei-chih has been in speaking to the press. The 36-year-old world No.786 had an operation on a brain tumour in 2012 and was basically incapacitated for a year.
He won three times on the Asian Tour before his illness, and says he's only now feeling back to full fitness.
"There was a time two years ago I didn't know how long I would last," he said. "After 13, 14 holes I just had to give up. After a lot of exercise, support from family, now I can play 18 holes again. I'm delighted with the round today. 
"I would not be here without the support of my wife and kids," he added.

11:45
Another Taiwanese player, Pan Cheng-tsung is also on the charge, three birdies in last five holes to move to -5 with four to play. 
As for the local players, though, it's not so good: there's 7 Hong Kong players in the line-up, and none look like troubling the scorer beyond Friday.
James Wong Woon-man (+8),  Timothy Tang Tsz-hang, James Stewart (both +4) and Max Wong Chen-kun (+2) have finished well over par, while Jason Hak Shun-yat (+5 after 10), Wilson Choy (+4 after 12), Terrence Ng (+2 after 2), look like joining them
There's only two mainland Chinese in the field - Li Haotong is +2 after 16 and Liang Wenchong is just about to tee off. 
11:30 
So an impressive opening round for Taiwan's Lu Wei-chi, a six under 64 to take the early clubhouse lead, eight birdies and two bogies in an excellent round.
Kevin Phelan blotted his round a little with a bogey on 18, but 66 is a more than solid start. Six birdies and two bogies for him as he tries to keep his European Tour card this week.
Exciting young American Patrick Reed was off to a flier, five under after his first 10 holes, but has dropped back to -3 after two bogies. He has three holes left after starting on No.11.
 
11:20am
Right now, the early starters are just finishing up - Taiwan's Lu Wei-chih is six under after 17, joined at the top by young Irishman Kevin Phelan (-5 after 17), who needs to finish sixth or better to keep his card.

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'Smarter' Justin Rose comes out on top of the class in Hong Kong

Justin Rose justifies star billing at the UBS Hong Kong Open 2015

UBS Hong Kong Open 2015

UBS Hong Kong Open

Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell in contention as Pavan and Lu lead day one of UBS Hong Kong Open - live blog

Justin Rose had an impressive back nine. Photos: KY Cheng

Ian Poulter only arrived at the last minute. Photo: KY Cheng

Graeme McDowell in action. Photos: KY Cheng

Defending champion Scott Hend had a -1 start to his title defence. Photo: KY Cheng

Dustin Johnson had a frustrating day on the greens. Photos: KY Cheng

Lu Wei-chih is recovering from brain surgery. Photos: KY Cheng

Graeme McDowell plays out of a bunker. Photos: KY Cheng

I messed up: Bad play and poor schedule management forced Hong Kong Open rescue mission, admits Ian Poulter

Ian Poulter plays into the 18th green on his way to winning the 2010 UBS Hong Kong Open. Photos: Richard Castka

Ian Poulter with the trophy after winning in 2010 UBS.

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Hong Kong Tourism Board chairman Peter Lam Kin-ngok gets in on the act in a pose with English golfer Justin Rose on Wednesday ahead of the Hong Kong Open. Photos: K.Y. Cheng

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China's Li Haotong hopes to use Hong Kong Open as springboard to hit the big time

China No 1  Li Haotong came close to winning the Shenzhen Open in April, but lost to Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat in a sudden-death play-off. Photos: SCMP Pictures

The Hong Kong Open will be Li Haotong's seventh European Tour event.

UBS Hong Kong Open tee-off times, Thursday and Friday

'Jimenez is here' - four-time Hong Kong Open champion ready for No 5

Miguel Angel Jimenez and Victor Dubuisson watch an InspiringHK Sports Foundation demonstration at Fanling on Wednesday. Photos: K.Y. Cheng

World No 7 England's Justin Rose during his practice round on Wednesday. 

American Dustin Johnson, the world No 8, gets to grips with the Fanling course on Wednesday. 

Reigning Hong Kong Open champion Scott Hend comes fresh off victory at the Venetian Macao Open. 

Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell joins a star-studded line-up for the Hong Kong Open. 

American Patrick Reed works out the Fanling course on Wednesday. 

Sport

Golf

Italian Andrea Pavan and Taiwan's Lu Wei-chih led after the first round of the UBS Hong Kong Open on Thursday, with big names Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell in hot pursuit.


Justin Rose and Graeme McDowell in contention as Pavan and Lu lead day one of UBS Hong Kong Open - live blog

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