BOGOTÁ, Colombia– The Web.com Tour’s Country Club de Bogotá Championship began on Thursday morning on both the Fundadores and Pacos courses at host Country Club de Bogotá. Playing on the Pacos Course, China’s Xinjun Zhang posted an eagle, eight birdies and one bogey for a 9-under 61, good for a one-shot lead heading into Friday’s second round of play at the 10th annual event.

Zhang opened his round in benign fashion with back-to-back pars on Nos. 1 and 2 before five birdies over his next eight holes pushed him to 5-under for the day. A bogey on the par-3 11th slowed his momentum, but the 31-year-old rallied quickly thereafter with a bounce-back eagle on the par-5 12th.

Birdies on 14, 15 and 17 rounded out a career-best round for Zhang, as his 61 marked his lowest to date in a PGA TOUR or Web.com Tour event.

“I caught a little bit of luck out there today. I had a few errant shots on some holes and the eagle putt on 12 had some speed to it but hit the flagstick in the center and went in,” said Zhang after his round. “I also had a chip on 14 that if it didn’t hit the flag, it might have been off the green. The last few events, my swing hasn’t really been where it’s been in the past. My coach has been helping me out the past few days and has helped me find my rhythm.”

Zhang played the Web.com Tour in 2017, notching runner-up finishes at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by MISTRAS and BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation to secure his 2017-18 PGA TOUR card with a 20th-place finish on the Regular Season money list.

During his rookie year on TOUR, Zhang recorded three top-25 finishes, including a season-best T5 at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship. Finishing at No. 167 in the FedExCup, he lost full Web.com Tour status for the 2019 season and was forced back to Q-School, where a T3 finish at Final Stage delivered 12 guaranteed starts.

“I learned a lot of things playing on the PGA TOUR the last year. I’ve learned a lot about the mental side of the game and taking it easy out here. I’ve learned to accept the outcomes of my shots no matter what they are,” said Zhang, who has made one cut in two starts this year. “Playing on the PGA TOUR has helped most with my mental game; I don’t want to get too high or too low out here. Also, the confidence I have knowing I did make it to the PGA TOUR and my game is at a level where I can play out there has helped a lot.”

When Zhang earned his PGA TOUR card in 2017, he was joined by fellow countryman Marty Dou, as the duo became the first Chinese-born players in history to earn TOUR cards.

Like Zhang, Dou also lost his status after one year and returned to the Web.com Tour in January to try and play his way back, winning the season-opening Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay to get a quick start on his goal for the year. Zhang, as it turned out, took notice.

“Marty winning definitely pushes me out here, especially seeing him play under such pressure in the Bahamas when he didn’t know how many starts he was going to have,” he said. “There are four Chinese players on the Web.com Tour right now and I hope everyone can play well enough to get to the PGA TOUR.”

Former University of South Carolina golfer and PGA TOUR member Mark Anderson is one back of Zhang after posting an 8-under 62 on the Pacos Course. Starting on the back nine, the 32-year-old birdied four of his opening five holes before closing with birdies on Nos. 3, 5, 6 and 9 for his career-low round on the Web.com Tour.

“I drove it really well, which you have to do around Pacos, and made a lot of putts,” said Anderson. “I kept myself out of trouble for the most part, hit a lot of greens and managed it pretty well today. I put myself in position to attack the pins, because if you put yourself in bad position off the tee, you can’t get at those pins.”

Anderson is making his 138th career Web.com Tour start this week, earning a victory at the 2013 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation and 14 total top-10 finishes. The Beaufort, South Carolina native has made 65 career starts on the PGA TOUR, but just two top-10 finishes – a T9 at the 2012 Children’s Miracle Network Classic and a T10 at the 2017 Puerto Rico Open.

In his lone start thus far in 2018, Anderson finished T25 at The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic at The Abaco Club last week.

Colombia’s Ricardo Celia and former University of Texas star Scottie Scheffler are tied for third with matching rounds of 7-under 63, while fellow Colombian and 2016 champion Sebastián Muñoz is one of six players tied for fourth with rounds of 6-under 64 – all on the Pacos Course.

Celia, who hails from Barranquilla, was tied for the lead alongside Anderson at 8-under heading to the par-4 18th but finished with a bogey to wind up with 63. The 26-year-old is making his 12th career Web.com Tour start this week, with nine of those starts coming in 2016 when he had conditional status on Tour. Celia has played primarily on PGA TOUR Latinoamerica each of the last five years, notching seven top-10 finishes and a victory at the 2015 Ecuador Open.

The day’s low round on the Fundadores Course, which serves as the tournament’s main venue, was 5-under 66, posted by Brian Richey and Byron Meth.