England’s Matthew Baldwin found himself a shot clear of Pablo Larrazabal and Joost Luiten during the first round of the Volvo China Open.
The 26 year old Challenge Tour graduate was six under with five to play at Binhai Lake as he looks to build on a commendable start to his rookie European Tour campaign.
Baldwin recorded a top ten finish at the Africa Open, 17th in Morocco, as well as making the cut in Sicily and Andalucía.
Birdies at the first, fifth, seventh and ninth saw him turn in 32 before further gains at the tenth and 11th.
Two-time European Tour winner Larrazabal moved to five under with six birdies and a bogey at the 13th over his first 13 holes, the Spaniard starting on the back nine.
He was level with Dutchman Luiten, who started with a hattrick of birdies from the tenth en route to reaching five under through 12 holes.
