China’s teenage golf star Zhou Yanhan, Sungjae Im from Korea, and Australian Will Florimo shared the first-round lead today at the SJM Macao Open after shooting fine six-under-par 64s.
They lead by one shot at Macau Golf & Country Club from a large group of players, who returned 65, including Kelvin Si, who is impressively flying the flag for Macao, Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert, the current leader of the Asian Tour Order of Merit and the winner of this event 10 years ago, 2016 Open Champion Henrik Stenson, Australian Jed Morgan, Chase Koepka from the United States, Jose Toledo from Guatemala, China’s Wu Ashun.
Zhou, just 18 years old and making his debut on the Asian Tour, said: “It’s a brilliant experience playing on the Tour, I love the course and I love the people here. Just an amazing experience here. This course is not that open, so you have to make sure your ball is safe and your ball is in play and just try to hole the putts.”
He made seven birdies and dropped one shot, on the sixth – after which he responded with three birdies in a row.
Zhou has been one of his country’s most talked about players over the past few seasons. In 2025 he triumphed seven times on the China Tour, secured the Order of Merit, and has also been playing well on the DP World Tour.
Korean star Im, who tied for seventh here last year, was bogey free today and birdied the par-five 18th late in the day to catch Zhou and Florimo – who were out in the morning flights.
The two-time PGA Tour champion commented: “It’s a very windy day today. It played to the plan that we had before the round. Playing last year and then knowing the course was a big help. If the wind stays in this direction, the three days are going to be the same plan.”
Pavit, who won this event in 2016 for his first success on the Asian Tour, said: “I have a lot of good memories from that year. Our King Rama IX passed away that year, on Thursday. So, I just said to myself, from then on, win for him. So, yeah, it was emotional and this week has special meaning.”
Local hope Si had a fantastic day, carding eight birdies. The 23-year-old said: “My iron game, short game, and putting were pretty solid today, but there is improvement to be made on tee shots, especially just driver. Playing at home, I find myself more nervous at the first tee compared to other tournaments, but I hit a good one there and it kind of calmed my nerves. I was trying to stick to my own game plan to see what I could do.”
Hong Kong’s Cheung finished a stroke behind Si at three-under. On his round, the 31-year-old said: “It was really solid. It was tricky but I putt really well out there. It was quite windy from the first tee, so it’s tough all day but I’m happy with this score. This golf course has so much undulation, you really have to pay attention to where the wind’s coming from and make a decision accordingly. But I’ve played this golf course a lot and I played in the wind frequently, I’m very comfortable in the wind.”
Title-sponsored by SJM Resorts, S.A. (“SJM”) for the fourth consecutive year, the prestigious event is one of the major sporting highlights on Macao’s annual international events calendar, and a cornerstone event on the Asian Tour, with a history of bringing amazing experiences for players and fans alike. The tournament will take place from 15-18 October at the spectacularly scenic Macau Golf & Country Club, located along the South China Sea, with international stars and elite regional talents competing for the coveted title.
In its 23-year history, the Macao Open has grown into a highlight on the Asian Tour calendar, attracting major champions such as Ernie Els, Nick Faldo, Fred Couples, Padraig Harrington, and Vijay Singh. Zhang Lianwei, a pioneer of golf in China, has won the prestigious event twice and remains the only golfer to have successfully defended his title in the tournament’s history.
