JEJU ISLAND, South Korea - Chez Reavie overcame cool, windy conditions for a 4-under-par 68 and a one-stroke lead Thursday after the first round of the CJ Cup at Nine Bridges.
The course's back nine posed the most difficulty, but the 36-year-old American made two birdies and negotiated it in 35 strokes after starting on the 10th tee, then picked up three shots on his final nine.
Si Woo Kim and Danny Willett were tied for second at 69 in the second of three straight PGA Tour events in Asia. There were seven golfers a stroke back: Byeong Hun An, Austin Cook, Michael Kim, Rod Pampling, Scott Piercy, Ian Poulter and Nick Watney.
Brooks Koepka, playing in his first tournament since being voted the tour's player of the year for the 2017-18 season, shot a 71 and was one of nine tied for 11th.
Baylor School graduate Keith Mitchell (75) was tied for 54th in a group that included Marc Leishman, who won the CIMB Classic in Malaysia this past Sunday. Mitchell is playing for the second straight week after skipping the season opener, when fellow former Red Raiders standouts Harris English, Stephan Jaeger and Luke List played. Those three are sitting out a second straight week.
Reavie's only PGA Tour win came at the 2008 Canadian Open, and he finished second in back-to-back starts last year in Phoenix and Pebble Beach, California, losing at Phoenix in a playoff.
"It was a great day. I hit the ball really well," Reavie said of Thursday's round. "The wind was blowing really hard all day long, so you had to really start the ball well and keep it out of the wind. Luckily, I was able to do that."
Reavie found all 14 fairways off the tee and hit 15 out of 18 greens in regulation.
Shanghai starts
SHANGHAI - Ariya Jutanugarn shot a 6-under 66 and held a one-stroke after the first round of the Buick LPGA Shanghai.
The 22-year-old Thai golfer made six birdies - including three straight on Nos. 4-6 - in a bogey-free round.
Danielle Kang and Sei Young Kim were one shot back, with six others only two shots off the lead.
The tournament is the second of five straight being played in South Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan in the LPGA's annual Asian swing.
Weather trouble
SOTOGRANDE, Spain - Ashley Chesters was leading at 5-under 66 at the Andalucia Valderrama Masters when play was suspended because of darkness with 60 golfers yet to complete the first round of the European Tour event.
More than four hours was lost as play was twice suspended because of stormy conditions and the threat of lightning at Real Club Valderrama in southern Spain.
Chesters, a 28-year-old Englishman, had six birdies and one bogey to take a one-shot lead over France's Gregory Bourdy. Tournament host and 2017 tournament champion Sergio Garcia (68) was tied with fellow Spaniards Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Alvaro Quiros as well as Australia's Jason Scrivener.