Keating clicks  in Shanghai with record 63

NEWS RELEASE FROM LET
By BETHAN CUTLER

Australian Stacey Keating fired a course record, nine-under-par 63 at Shanghai Qizhong Garden Golf Club today to take a two-stroke lead over the world number five Shanshan Feng after the first round of the Buick Championship.

Keating, p
had just 23 putts in her career-low round, which featured 10 birdies, including seven in eight holes from the seventh. The only blemish on her card was a bogey on the par-four 10^th in the middle of her magic run.

“I hit the ball nicely from tee to green but I holed a lot of putts and got a bit lucky at times. When it’s your day, it’s your day I guess,” said the 28-year-old from Melbourne. 
“I had a bunker shot at the last and it hit the pin and finished right next to it whereas on any other day it probably would have run off the green.”

Keating’s previous low round on the Ladies European Tour was an eight under par 62 at Chantaco Golf Club which eventually led to her collecting her second title at the 2012 Lacoste Ladies’ Open de France.

She continued: “I love the course, it’s in great condition and it feels like nobody has played it. I like China and it’s very easy to reach from Australia with not much time difference.”

Two strokes back on seven under par, China’s Feng made a great start when she holed a 20yd putt for an eagle 3 on the par-five 13^th, playing as her fourth hole.  She sealed her flawless round with five additional birdies on the 15th, 17th, 18th, fourth and sixth holes.

“I feel very lucky that they watered the greens last night because the greens were not as firm,” said the 2014 Dubai Ladies Masters champion. 
 “When we were playing in the pro-am and practice round, I could not stop the ball on the greens, even with my wedge. I think today it really helped and I had a lot of birdie chances, so overall I did pretty well.”

China’s Xiyu Lin fired a six under par 66 to sit in third place. She held the early lead after eight birdies in 16 holes, but double bogeyed her last hole after hooking her tee shot into the river on the par-four ninth.

The recent Sanya Ladies Open champion said: “Today I didn’t really think I could have that many birdies: I was just trying to have a good strategy and trying to hit the ball to the widest place.”

There was huge excitement around the course when Victoria Lovelady from Brazil made a hole in one at the 16^th, playing as her seventh hole. She used a hybrid 5 club to ace the hole from 187 yards, winning a Buick GL8 car.

This is the Ladies European Tour’s first visit to Shanghai, but many of the local players competed in the Buick Invitational last year, which was a China LPGA Tour event.

 

Lovelady wins a Buick GL8        

Brazilian Victory Lovelady lit up the Shanghai Qizhong Garden Golf Course in the first round of the Buick Championship today when she made a hole-in-one at the 16^th, to win a top of the range Buick GL8, worth approximately 60,000 euros.

Having received an invitation to play in the tournament, courtesy of the golf club, Lovelady used a hybrid 5 club to ace the 187yd par-3 16^th, which played as her seventh hole.  

After signing for an opening round of one under par 71, she told reporters: “I started today playing a little bit poorly: I started bogey, par, bogey. Right before the hole in one I had a birdie so I was happy. With that shot, the wind was crossed, right to left. From the practice round I remembered that the green was very firm so I thought, ‘I’m just going to have fun here, hit a draw and let the wind take it and do my best.’

“All of a sudden, I see the ball crossing in front of the flag. It bounced left of the flag and then all of a sudden the ball goes right and hits the pin and I hear the noise and I’m like, ‘I can’t believe it just went in!’ 

"I was hugging all the caddies and all the players and everyone was happy so it was a lot of fun. Then everyone started to point behind my back. I was just happy with my score but then all of a sudden I had won a Buick and that was really amazing.”

Lovelady, who began to play golf in Rio de Janeiro, which will host the Olympics Games next summer, felt extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to compete in the tournament.

She added: “I feel extremely blessed to be playing this sport, to be part of the LET and to be able to come to China to play. Not many people have that chance. I want to thank the people who invited me here. 
"Coming from Brazil, a country of 200 million where only 15,000 people play golf, I feel extremely blessed to be one of them and representing my country in this fantastic tournament in amazing conditions on this great course.”

FIRST ROUND SCORES

63 - Stacey Keating (AUS)

65 - Shanshan Feng (CHN)

66 - Xiyu Lin (CHN)

68 - So-Young Jang (KOR) , Dan Li (CHN) , Ai-Chen Kuo (TPE)

69 - Diana Luna (ITA) , Margherita Rigon (ITA) , Marianne Skarpnord (NOR) , Pavarisa Yoktuan (THA) , Rungthiwa Pangjan (THA) , Wichanee Meechai (THA) , Ssu-Chia Cheng (TPE) , Beth Allen (USA) , Pei-Yun Chien (TPE)

70 - Georgia Hall (ENG) , Narisara Kerdrit (THA) , Hong Tian (CHN) , Rebecca Hudson (ENG) , Whitney Hillier (AUS) , Yu-Ling Hsieh (TPE) , Sally Watson (SCO) , Ziqi Ye (CHN) , Tzu-Chi Lin (TPE)

71 - Pamela Pretswell (SCO) , Victoria Lovelady (BRA) , Florentyna Parker (ENG) , Maria Balikoeva (RUS) , Jienalin Zhang (CHN) , Linda Wessberg (SWE) , Ann-Kathrin Lindner (GER) , Nanna Koerstz Madsen (DNK) , Yuting Shi (CHN) , Rebecca Artis (AUS) , Jade Schaeffer (FRA) , Nicole Broch Larsen (DEN) , Carly Booth (SCO)

72 - Tanaporn Kongkiatkrai (THA) , Na Zhang (CHN) , Man Jin (CHN) , Hsin Ning Yeh (TPE) , Wei Wei Zhang (CHN) , Klara Spilkova (CZE) , Aunchisa Utama (THA) , Hyeon Seo Kang (SKOR) , Bo Bea Kim (KOR) , Yan-Hong Pan (CHN) , Charley Hull (ENG) , Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA) , Hsuan-Ping Chang (TPE) , Sha Wu (CHN) , Lei Ye (CHN)

73 - Nikki Garrett (AUS) , Camilla Lennarth (SWE) , JiaYi Zhou (CHN) , Isabelle Boineau (FRA) , Valentine Derrey (FRA) , Stephanie Na (AUS) , Titiya Plucksataporn (THA) , Liz Young (ENG) , Qi Feng Xiao (CHN) , Yifan Ji (CHN) , Pimpadsorn Sangkagaro (THA) , Nontaya Srisawang (THA)

74 - Liqing Chen (CHN) , Marion Ricordeau (FRA) , Melissa Reid (ENG) , Malene Jorgensen (DEN) , Ajira Nualraksa (THA) , Yue Xia Lu (CHN) , Fabienne In-albon (SWI) , Amy Boulden (WAL) , Noora Tamminen (FIN) , Li Ying Ye (CHN) , Michelle Koh (MYS)

75 - Vikki Laing (SCO) , Cai Zhu Guo (CHN) , Becky Brewerton (WAL) , Saraporn Chamchoi (THA) , Yan Liu (CHN) , Stacy Lee Bregman (RSA) , Tonje Daffinrud (NOR) , Yuli Shi (CHN) , Jaruporn Palakawong Na Ayutthaya (THA) , Ursula Wikstrom (FIN)

76 - Hannah Burke (ENG) , Danting Cai (CHN) , Yu Yang Zhang (CHN) , Wannasiri Sirisampant (THA) , Ji Yang (SKOR) , Panpan Yan (CHN) , Sophie Giquel-bettan (FRA)

77 - Nina Holleder (GER) , Huei Ju Shih (TPE) , Pennapa Pulsawath (THA) , Kusuma Meechai (THA)

78 - Kylie Walker (SCO) , Connie Chen (RSA) , Aretha Pan (MYS) , Sophie Walker (ENG) , Tiranan Yoopan (THA)

DQ - Holly Clyburn (ENG)