Chorley's Nick Dougherty fired a one-under-par 71 in the first round of the HSBC Champions event in Shanghai.
The 25-year-old carded three birdies and two bogies, and is already seven shots behind joint-leaders Niclas Fasth and Kevin Stadler, who shot course record-equalling rounds of 64.
A round of 67 put Fiji's Vijay Singh in third place in the lucrative £2.38m event at the Sheshan International.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article