TIANJIN, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Ji Yuai set the early pace at the Tianjin Women's Open on Thursday as the Dalian native made a birdie three on the final hole for a five-under par 67 and a one-stroke lead in the opening round of the China LPGA Tour event.

Fellow Chinese Liu Wenbo was a shot back after posting a four-under 68 under sunny conditions at Tianjin Pan Shan Golf Club. Indonesian Patricia Sinolungan was third following a 70, one shot ahead of China's Pang Runzhi and Wu Tianqi.

China's Tang Rongze, Cui Jinghan, Tang Yuanwen, and Yin Jiayi were the top amateurs on even-par 72, tied for equal sixth with Thai pros Saranporn Katesuwan and Dolnapa Zukphokinvanich and Hu Jing of Hong Kong, China.

Sui Xiang, who won the tournament last year when it was the Tianjin Ladies Challenge, opened with a two-over 74.

Ji, a second-year pro from Liaoning province who last year finished runner-up twice in CLPGA Tour events, rebounded strongly from a bogey at the fourth hole in carding an eagle two at the 390-yard ninth hole from 145 yards out to make the turn at one-under. She then made birdies on four of the last five holes to move to the top of the leaderboard at the RMB 400,000 event.

"I had an aggressive strategy with some good breaks. I believe that plenty of players would try to play conservatively on such a challenging course. I had a different mindset since this is the first regular event (of the CLPGA Tour season). I went for it and gave free play," said the 19-year-old.

"The golf course doesn't suit my game with its narrow fairways, but I still tried to hit with a driver off the tee as much as possible. It works. I had a good run since the ninth hole. I won't change my plan. I lost twice (last year) with a conservative strategy in Beijing as well as in Singapore. I learned a lesson and will stick to my plan whatever happens to me."

Liu, a three-time winner on the CLPGA Tour, started her early morning round on the back nine by reeling off eight consecutive pars. Her first birdie came at her ninth hole (the 18th hole) where she sank an 18-foot uphill putt to make the turn at one-under. She picked up three more strokes over her back nine (the front nine), including two up-and-down birdies on the par-five holes.

"It's my first time here. The golf course is a great challenge with its sloping greens. But I am more confident with a steadier swing. After a frantic year, I settled down a little bit recently. A coach from Feng Shanshan Golf Academy gave me some nice tips about my swing. Just small things, but it works. My attitude is more positive now."

After struggling last year on the Epson Tour in the US where she made only one halfway cut in nine events, the Beijing native said she planned to concentrate on playing more CLPGA Tour events this year to improve her world ranking.

"I want more wins on the China LPGA Tour, which would move me to a higher ranking. I still want to try to qualify for the (US) LPGA later this year. With a higher world ranking, I could be exempted from the first stage of Q-School."

Sinolungan, who earned her full-time playing card through this year's China LPGA Qualifying Tournament, got off to a good start with a round featuring three birdies and a bogey.

"I had a good day off the tee and ball striking. I was hitting a lot of greens and getting a lot of birdie chances for myself," said the 22-year-old who turned pro after graduating last year from the University of North Texas. "I just stuck to my game plan and remained calm throughout my round. That was what I was reminding myself. Tomorrow, I have an early tee time so the conditions could be different."

Thai veteran Supamas Sangchan withdrew. Enditem

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