English trio chase French pacesetter

Frenchman Christian Cevaer set the early pace at the Volvo China Open, firing a six-under-par 66 to grab a one-stroke lead at the Honghua International Golf Club in Beijing.

Cevaer put himself on top of the leaderboard in front of a chasing pack which included English trio Ross Fisher, Simon Wakefield and Simon Dyson, plus Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Sweden’s Peter Hanson who all shot a 67 in sunny conditions.

The 36-year-old Cevaer, who claimed his maiden title at the Open de Espana in 2004, was delighted with his opening-round score.

“It felt great out there. The swing was going beautifully. I felt comfortable and I really enjoyed it,” he said.

“The key today was the fine shots I made from the bunker. I got it up and down four times and also holed my bunker shot for a birdie on the third. I just felt really comfortable with the bunkers,” added the Frenchman, who birdied six holes.

Cevaer was also excited to be playing on the Nick Faldo-designed par-72 course, which he said brought the best out of his game.

“It’s a beautiful course. Most of the greens are elevated and you have run-offs all the way back to the fairways,” he said.

Just one shot off the pace was Englishman Dyson, who was the China Open winner in 2000 and looking for another tournament win in Asia.

“I’m very pleased with that, especially after yesterday when I didn’t play that great in the pro-am. I went back to the drawing boards, went back to the range for a couple of hours and found something,” said Dyson.

Having won the China Open six years ago, Dyson said it was good to be back in China for another crack at the title.

“Every time I come back to Asia, there’s something special about it. I won my first European Tour event in Asia as well. Every time I come back now, there’s an extra bit of confidence in myself. It’s a nice feeling and I want to get that feeling in Europe now.”

Fellow Englishman Fisher also got off to a good start, saying he was delighted with his opening score.

Fisher came close to winning last year’s tournament when he led the field after the third round before finishing fourth on the final day.

“There’s still a long way to go but I have put myself in a good position,” said 25-year Fisher.

Hanson overcame two bogeys at the start but came back strongly to card a 67 and put himself within touching distance of Cavaer.

“It was a slow start but I managed to turn it around. I think I stayed patient. I hit two bad shots on 10 and 11. But I started to feel better and better. It was nice to come in strongly,” said the Swede.

Although Cevaer took the clubhouse lead, fellow Frenchman Jean Van de Velde did not fare so well. The 39-year-old tour pro shot a 74 on a disappointing day.

Sweden’s Johan Edfors, meanwhile, struggled in almost perfect weather conditions and managed only par coming on the back of his European Tour victory at the TCL Classic in China in March.

Ireland's Peter Lawrie and Damien McGrane are still in the hunt on one under and even par respectively.