Shanghai, China (SportsNetwork.com) - Alexander Levy fired a 7-under 65 in Thursday's opening round and he grabbed a 1-shot lead at the BMW Masters.
Levy won twice this year on the European Tour, and they were his only two top-10 finishes. Levy fired a second-round 62, which helped him win the China Open in April. He later won the Portugal Masters, which was trimmed to 36 holes due to weather problems.
"I think this country likes me. For me, this golf course is pretty much the same of Shenzhen," said Levy of the course he won on earlier this year. "I like this type of golf course with water and the target golf."
Nicolas Colsaerts, Romain Wattel and Emiliano Grillo are tied for second place at minus-6.
Graeme McDowell opened with a 5-under 67 on the Masters Course at Lake Malaren Golf Club and he stands alone in fifth place. Thomas Bjorn, Jamie Donaldson, Marcel Siem, Richard Sterne, Oliver Wilson and Branden Grace are one stroke back at minus-4.
Levy birdied the second and followed with six consecutive pars from the third. He caught fire from there.
The Frenchman rolled in a birdie chance at the ninth. Levy made it two in a row as he also birdied the 10th. He wasn't done as he followed with birdies at 11 and 12.
Levy poured in his fifth straight birdie at the par-5 13th. That burst gave him the lead. After three pars in a row, Levy birdied the par-3 17th to move to minus-7. He parred the last to end there.
"I played very good today. The last three tournaments I did that, and I did it again today. It's what I want in my game, to be consistent on the golf course and I like when I am bogey-free," Levy stated. "I missed one fairway I think today and I'm still aggressive on the golf course and I like to play this golf and I need to be thinking like that for the rest of the week."
Colsaerts played the back nine first in the opening round. He birdied the 10th and 13th, then jumped to 4-under as he made eagle at the par-5 15th.
After three pars in a row, Colsaerts tripped to a bogey at the first. He quickly erased that mistake with birdies at two and three. Colsaerts faltered to a another bogey on the fifth. He moved into second place with birdies at the seventh and eighth. Colsaerts parred the last to end there.
Wattel started his bogey-free round with birdies at the first and third. After he ran off four pars in a row from the fourth, Wattel birdied the eighth and ninth to make the turn at minus-4. He birdied the 13th and 18th to gain a share of second place.
Grillo carded two birdies on the front nine, and they came at the second and seventh. He picked up his third birdie on the 10th. Grillo flew into a share of second as he birdied three of the last four holes from the 16th.
NOTES: Levy is 26-under par in five rounds in China this year on the European Tour ... Edoardo Molinari had a hole-in-one on the par-3 fourth and he carded a 2-under 70, which left him tied for 19th ... This is the first event of the European Tour finals series.
