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WUHAN, China, June 13-- Zhang Weiwei gave her hometown fans what they wanted on Thursday as the Hubei native opened with a five-under 67 to take a two-shot lead at the Wuhan Challenge. With the conditions hot and sunny for the first round of the 500,000-yuan China LPGA Tour event, fellow countrywoman Zhang Yunjie was clear in second after shooting a three-under 69 at Orient Wuhan. Thailand's Pitsaon Chaichompoo was three shots back on 70, tied with Chinese Taipei's Doris Chen and Beijing native Liu Wenbo. Zhang Weiwei, who won in Beijing in May and was equal second last week in Zhangjiagang, continued on her hot streak that has seen her dominate the CLPGA Tour money list this season. Her bogey-free round included five birdies. Playing at Orient Wuhan for the first time since 2017 when she finished equal seventh, the 22-year-old rated her round 95 out of 100. She gave herself a reduced score for misreading some greens, especially the last three holes when all she could muster were pars. "I didn't think about my score during the game. This course is difficult, the greens are fast. This is my fourth straight tournament. I am a little tired so I didn't give myself a high goal. But it turned out well," she said. Zhang Weiwei, who first played this tournament in 2011 as a 14-year-old when she finished equal 18th, said even with a two-stroke lead and a hometown audience behind her she will still need to play aggressively for the rest of the way if she is to earn her third CLPGA Tour title. | 
