Hsieh Yu-shu's performance in the first round of the US$500,000 Omega Hong Kong Open was much like the weather yesterday - simply perfect. Playing under brilliant sunshine after two days of rain and cold, the Taiwanese golfer shone through to grab a share of the lead after firing a seven-under-par 64 on the Composite Course at the Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling. He was later joined at the top of the leaderboard by England's Simon Dyson, whose brilliant rookie season continued after shooting an identical seven-under-par 64 for the share of the lead. 'I've been struggling for a while before because I have been learning to shape the ball again, hitting from right to left back to left to right and I have been doing this since September,' said Hsieh. 'But I have been playing much better since hitting the ball straight,' added Hsieh, whose brother, Chin-sheng, won the Hong Kong Open in 1988. 'I love playing this course. My short game was brilliant today. I only had 23 putts in total. 'I have played here every year since 1983 so this is my 18th Hong Kong Open,' said Hsieh, whose best finish at the Hong Kong Open was third in 1986. The 40-year-old Taiwanese started on the back nine and chipped in twice on his first and final holes after overshooting the green. On the 10th, he chipped in his second shot for a birdie and on the ninth - Hsieh's 18th - he nailed an eagle three after a massive 280-yard tee shot. In all, he racked up an eagle and five birdies with no bogeys. Defending champion Patrik Sjoland of Sweden, compatriot Stephen Lindskog, Taiwan's Yeh Chang-ting and South Korea's Yang Yong-eun all carded 66s to share third place. Dyson kept up the pressure on Yeh Wei-tze, who shot a 70, in the race to win the Davidoff Tour Order of Merit. The Yorkshireman, who won the Macau Open and the Volvo China Open, is third on the Merit list but could snatch the title with a good performance in the season-ending Hong Kong Open. But he insisted he would not be thinking about the title just yet. 'I thought about it today and I had a terrible putt [on the par-three 11th hole]. I tried to keep my mind off it. I stopped thinking about it after that,' said the 22-year-old. 'I am aiming in the top two or three in the Order of Merit and winning would be a bonus. There's still a long way to go. 'Really, anything can happen in three rounds. Look what happened to Jyoti [Randhawa, the recent Singapore Open champion] who was six off the pace after day one and won it by three or four. Dyson was still 'very pleased' with his performance yesterday, adding: 'Earlier in the year, I was shooting two or three under but now I am shooting six or seven under.' With first place in the tournament worth US$80,750 and second position US$55,650, Dyson could be in for a big pay if he continues his pace. Welshman Ian Woosnam, who was winner here in 1987 and was a close second last year, was right up there with the leaders in joint seventh place after carding a 67. The former US Masters champion said: 'I didn't play my best golf. I have been struggling for a while. I got up and down from the bunker after I came out of it OK. 'The score was good but hopefully I can improve on that. I hope I will play well and make it easier for myself. 'The last few holes, I was pulling my hands trying to address the ball with my arms back. Hopefully it will give me the confidence for tomorrow,' said Woosnam. The Welshman said he had an almost sleepless night but he felt better as the day wore on. 'I felt all right. I went to bed at quarter to eleven and I woke up at one o'clock. Then I woke up at five. And at six o'clock I got up and did some stretching exercises and managed to go back to sleep until nine. I had a mixed up night but I feel OK.' Randhawa returned a 69, while Scotland's Paul Lawrie, the 1999 British Open champion, shot a 69 to share 16th place. Zhang Lianwei hit a four-under 67 for a share of seventh place despite bogeying the last hole after his tee shot hit the bunker and his second shot landed in the lake. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Yeh Chang-ting is currently leading the longest drive competition after sending the ball 304 yards yesterday on the par five 529-yard 12th hole. Ross Bain of Scotland is second on 297 yards, while China's Liu Guojie was third on 296 yards. Lawrie and the Philippines' Felix Casas were next with efforts of 293 yards. The competition is being held for the first time in the tournament. The golfer with the longest drive after three days of competition wins a special watch donated by Omega.
