Kisner opens 2-shot lead on a course he barely knows

“This tournament is so big – it’s too big”, Li said after a 6-under 66 that left him one shot out of the lead going into the final round.

He took part in its junior golf program, watching over the last decade as players like Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els competed at Sheshan global.

“Barely had a breath of wind out there and the golf course is playing probably as easy as it could be playing”, Grace said.

Castro followed up his lowest score on the PGA Tour, a 10-under 62 on Thursday, with another impressive round. The guys are playing a few great golf, and when you play on greens like this, as well, it helps.

Englishman Danny Willett, McIlroy’s nearest challenger in the Race to Dubai, is at five under after a two-over 74.

Only 13 players in the 78-man field were over par. That led to a two-shot penalty for Adam Scott, however, who chipped to tap-in range on the par-3 sixth, only to look back and realize he might have been in the rough.

The world No3 had been bedridden for two days and missed out on practice rounds at the Sheshan Golf Club in Shanghai, and while he did not look back to full health, he still carded a four-under 68 to sit in a tie for 16th.

World number two Spieth climbed to four under after a birdie at the last, but three straight bogeys starting at the 11th were costly on Friday.

“But I took a couple of tablets and it sort of went away as I went through the round”. “But really pleased overall”.

While his physique had suffered from the ordeal, which he blamed on a rogue club sandwich ordered from room service, his shot-making was as dialled-in as ever – as the world No?3 stayed within five strokes of South African Branden Grace’s early lead.

World number two and double major victor Jordan Spieth showed he was human in a year when he nearly conquered all with three consecutive bogeys from the 11th. But he three-putted the 15th, narrowly avoided another bogey on No. 16 by making an 8-foot putt and missed on a short birdie attempt on the 17th. I needed to loosen up quite a lot, but when I got out there I felt pretty good. Give it a last, final push. “There’s a lot still to play for”.

Rory McIlroy managed to finish another round in Shanghai, but said it was a struggle with his energy levels so low.

“It’s probably a little better than I was expecting out there to be honest”, said McIlroy.

Fellow Sheffield golfer Matt Fitzpatrick fired a four under par round of 68 to get his tournament off to a fine start.

Spieth had no complaints, either.

Grace was 5-0 in the Presidents Cup last month in Korea.

“I had something from room service a couple of nights ago and yesterday wasn’t good at all”, McIlroy told the European Tour’s website. “He was a day behind us, so when we got here on Tuesday, my wife caddied for me”, Knox said.