Aisa-Pacific Amateur Golf Championship kicks off in China

The fifth Asia-Pacific amateur golf championship kicked off on Thursday in eastern China's Longkou city.

After the first round, Chinese Dou Zecheng ranked the first, shooting a 3-under 68, followed by South Korean Lee Chang-woo and Australian Brady Watt. The defending champion Guan Tianlang only shot 3-over 74 and ranked the 16th.

Dou shot three birdies on the 4th hole, 8th hole and 16th hole respectively. "I think I improved a lot and I did pretty well with any irons today," said Dou

Expecting the champion, Dou said,"If I can win, it is my great honor to represent China to play the Masters."

Guan Tianlang performed ordinarily at the first round. He made double bogeys on the 7th hole because he shot the ball into the water.

The Asia-Pacific amateur championship is organized in conjunction with the Masters Tournament and The R&A, organizers of The Open Championship. A total of 118 players from 34 countries and regions took part in the annual event which offers the winner an invitation to the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. The champion and runner(s)-up earn spots in International Final Qualifying (IFQ) for The Open Championship.