Ryder Cup star Sergio Garcia made the ideal start to the BMW Masters in Shanghai as he looked to seize his last chance to win on the European Tour this year.
Garcia, who is not playing the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai next week, has won 11 times on Tour but back-to-back sixth place finishes in the Open and European Masters are his best results of the campaign.
However, the 35-year-old Spaniard was 11th in the WGC-HSBC Champions last week and continued that good form across the city at Lake Malaren to set the early pace along with France's Victor Dubuisson and Thailand's Thongchai Jaidee
Starting from the 10th, Garcia birdied four of his first five holes before dropping a shot on the 17th to reach the turn in 33, despite the course playing every inch of its 7,594 yards in the damp, overcast conditions.
Further birdies on the first, second and fourth took Garcia into the outright lead on six under, but he was then joined at the top of the leaderboard by Jaidee, who had carded four birdies and an eagle in his first 11 holes.
Dubuisson, who won the Turkish Airlines Open a fortnight ago but was ineligible for the HSBC Champions, also moved to six under with a birdie on the second after a flawless back nine of 31.
With Rory McIlroy not competing, his rivals in the Race to Dubai had the chance to overtake the four-time major winner with Danny Willett just needing to finish 28th or better in the 78-man field, while Shane Lowry, Louis Oosthuizen and Justin Rose need to finish second or better and Branden Grace requires a win.
Willett was in a tie for 22nd after covering the back nine in two under, with playing partners Lowry and Oosthuizen one under and level par respectively, with Rose two under and Grace one under.
Source: PA
