Arnold and Davies make the early running in China
2013-10-17 19:26:50
Rhys Davies returned to the form which earned him one European and two Challenge Tour titles with a sparkling round of 65 on the opening day of the inaugural Foshan Open.
Davies has endured a spell in the doldrums recently but the Welshman was back to his brilliant best in Foshan City, China, notching seven birdies in a flawless display at Foshan Golf Club to share the early lead with Australian Scott Arnold.
Davies burst into life on The European Tour in 2010 on the back of a stunning Challenge Tour season which yielded victories in his native Wales and Spain. He then took the step up to the top tier in his stride, winning in Morocco en route to finishing in 18th place in The Race to Dubai.
Since then the boy from Bridgend has found the going rather tougher, but he believes a return to his former glories could be just around the corner after rediscovering his touch with the putting stroke which has been hailed by many observers as amongst the best in the game.
The 28 year old said: “I think I had 25 putts today, which is probably my best putting display for quite a while. It surprised me a little because these greens are quite difficult to read with the grain and the slopes, but I’ve played quite a lot in Asia so I’m probably more used to them than some of the other European guys. It’s been a tough season but I’m slowly getting my form and confidence back, and today was another step in the right direction.
Davies also revealed that, having flown to China from America, his body clock was haywire and so he has decided to stick to an unusual sleeping pattern this week.
He said: “I’ve been going to bed around five o’clock and waking up at four in the morning, which obviously isn’t ideal but at least it meant I was wide awake when I teed off at 7.40 this morning. It’s just as well I don’t need to do much work on my game this afternoon, as I might fall asleep on the range! Obviously if I have an afternoon tee time later in the week I may need to adjust my sleeping pattern, but it’s working fine for me so far.
Arnold was also an early riser, but he made light of any lingering lethargy by blitzing the front nine in just 33 strokes. He went one better on the back nine with the highlight coming on the par five 13th hole, where he drilled a three-iron to 12 feet and duly sunk the putt for an eagle.
Having slipped to 84th place in the Challenge Tour Rankings, the Sydney native will need to finish the season with a flourish if he is to retain The European Tour card he earned at the Qualifying School last year. But with more than US$1million up for grabs over the next three weeks, Arnold could have timed his run to perfection.
The former World Amateur Number One said: “I’m delighted with the way I played today, other than a couple of poor drives which cost me bogeys, it was pretty much flawless golf. So it was nice to get off to a good start but I did the same in Kazakhstan then came unstuck at the weekend, so I won’t be taking anything for granted over the next three days.
"If I can putt as well as I did today for the rest of the tournament, I’ll give myself a chance. I find the greens here fairly easy to read, because the grain helps you with the line. I’ve played in Asia quite a bit before so I’m used to putting on these greens, which maybe gives me a bit of an advantage."
"I needed a decent start because I’m way down in the Rankings at the moment. It’s early days, but the way I played today bodes well for the rest of the week."
With the afternoon starters yet to complete their rounds, Davies’ playing partner Sam Walker is currently in third place on six under par. The Englishman found himself one over par through four holes, but plundered seven birdies in his next 14 holes to sign for his lowest opening round of the season.
The most eventful round of the morning session was produced by Li Hao-tong, who opened with a nine and closed with a seven – and yet signed for a 72.
The young Chinese, who was in the first group out alongside former Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson, admitted he was still half-asleep when he hooked his opening tee shot into the water hazard. After two more trips to the water, Li was five over after one hole and facing potential embarrassment, but he showed tremendous courage and mental strength to repair the damage with seven birdies.
Just as he looked destined to post the most unlikely of under par rounds, however, disaster struck again with a visit to the lake guarding the 18th green.
Still, level par was a creditable effort by the youngster, who said: “My nine on the first was my worst ever score for a single hole – I guess I wasn’t fully awake first thing this morning! But I tried not to think too much about, I just focused on getting the shots back as quickly as possible. The rest of the round went pretty smoothly – except for the 18th hole of course!
