Joshua Grenville-Wood started his two-week stint in China in fine style by carding a bogey-free six-under 66 on day one of the Hainan Open in Sanya on Hainan Island.

The United Arab Emirates National player, currently ranked 59th on the Challenge Tour’s Road to Mallorca Rankings, went out in two-under 34 and put the foot down coming in with a four-under 32, to get his first round in the books of the US $500,000 prize pool event.

“Today was sweet,” Grenville-Wood told Golf Digest Middle East, “I didn’t feel like I hit it too well, especially with my shorter irons and a couple of my wedge shots. I definitely felt like that could have been a little better. No bogeys always feels great so that was really nice and obviously a great way to start off two weeks in China.

“Having played in Asia before on the Asian Tour, the Asian Developmental Tour and the Phillippines Golf Tour for three to four years, I was able to adjust my game to play in Asia when it comes to chipping around the greens with the grain and all the different types of grass that we have. Even the styles of golf courses are different, so it definitely helps. It’s warm as well, living in Dubai helps with that!”

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Sitting in a tie for ninth after the opening 18 holes, the 26-year-old puts his upturn in form down to both his top five finish last time out in Switzerland, coupled with an R&R week back home in Dubai while ‘slightly’ sharpening up at his home club, The Els Club, Dubai.

“Switzerland was good. I felt like that was coming for a while now. I had been playing, what I felt, was some very good golf but I was just trying to puzzle it together. I’ve made a few swing changes now and a few changes to my short game and it seems to be starting to piece together nicely now which is nice so just will try to keep that rolling.

“I was back in Dubai for five or six days. It was just nice to be back in my own place and hit the reset button, get some relax and recovery in. It’s been a long year and the recovery was great. I only practised at The Els Club for three of the days as I wanted to have more of a week of rest because I knew my game was in a good spot and I didn’t need to work on too much.”

The Dubai-resident will be looking for a couple of strong finishes in either of this week’s Hainan Open or next week’s Hangzhou Open, to move up the needed 14 spots on the order of merit into the top 45 to make the final event of the season in Mallorca giving him one final chance of gaining a DP World Tour card.

“These two weeks are obviously very big. There are a lot of things that can go right and can happen. If things go to plan, I can tick off a DP World Tour card.

“My goal these two weeks is just to keep doing what I’m doing. I know I’m very close to having some really good stuff happen. As long as I keep sticking to my process I know good things will come.

“It’s kind of a like a free hit these two weeks. I’m not afraid of dropping outside the top 45. I’ve got everything to play for to go and get inside the top 45 or I don’t, so it’s a nice position to be in.”

Leading after round one in a five-way tie at eight-under-par are Sweden’s Niklas Lemke, South African’s Wilco Nienbar and JC Ritchie, Singaporean Gregory Foo and Philippino Lloyd Jefferson Go after rounds of 64.

Fellow Dubai resident and Trump International Dubai member Garrick Porteous, opened up his campaign with a three-under-par 69 to sit in a tie for 30th spot.

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