Zhang rolls back the years at Hong Kong Golf Open

 HONG KONG, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese veteran Zhang Lianwei, a five-time Asian Tour winner, turned back the hands of time when he shot a superb four-under-par 66 to lie two shots behind clubhouse leader Javi Colomo of Spain in the opening round of the UBS Hong Kong Golf Open here on Thursday.

The 47-year-old provided the early cheers for the local galleries with six birdies against a double bogey¹ at the Hong Kong Golf Club at Fanling to enjoy one of his best starts in recent years.

While the Chinese trailblazer has scaled down his playing schedule abroad, he showed that he is still capable of producing some impressive golf when he opened his campaign with four successive birdies, starting on the opening par-four 11th before adding another on the 17th.

"I was five-under after eight holes. After that, I played conservatively, but towards the end I wanted to be a bit more aggressive," said Zhang. "On the last hole today, my tee shot went into the left rough and it was very tough to get out from that lie. It was very unfortunate to finish a round with a double bogey."

While winning the two million US dollar Hong Kong Open is still premature² as the championship is in its early stages, Zhang will no doubt be dreaming of completing a unique treble as he has previously³ won the Macao Open and China Open on the Asian Tour.

"I've won the China Open and the Macao Open and I've always wanted to add the Hong Kong Open to my wins. That's why I always love to come back to Hong Kong and play in the Hong Kong Open. Nobody has done it before and hopefully I can be the first player to achieve that accomplishment," said Zhang.

Throughout his illustrious career that spans almost two decades, Zhang has beaten the likes of Major champions such as South Africa's Ernie Els and Zimbabwean Nick Price.

With world's No.1 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Italy's Matteo Manassero among the elite⁴ field this week, Zhang remains⁵ bullish about his chances of getting the better over the Major champions as well as his younger rivals who are almost half his age.

"I've the local knowledge here with all of my years of experience and they will be advantageous⁶ to me this week," said Zhang.

1 bogey   

n.令人谈之变色之物；妖怪，幽灵

参考例句：

• The universal bogey is AIDS.艾滋病是所有人唯恐避之不及的东西。
• Age is another bogey for actresses.年龄是另一个让女演员头疼的问题。

2 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

3 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

4 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 advantageous   

adj.有利的；有帮助的

参考例句：

• Injections of vitamin C are obviously advantageous.注射维生素C显然是有利的。
• You're in a very advantageous position.你处于非常有利的地位。