SHANGHAI, April 20: Henrik Stenson took advantage of perfect early conditions to shoot a five-under-par 67 for a one-stroke lead after the opening round of the Asian Open on Thursday.

The 30-year-old Swede struggled to a share of 20th in high winds and sand storms at the China Open in Beijing last week and found the balmy weather at the Tomson Pudong Golf Club much more to his liking.

Six birdies, a single bogey and a rescued par after his ball found water at the seventh left him a shot ahead of Frenchman Jean Van de Velde and Briton Stephen Gallacher, who shared second after 68s.

None of the players going out in the afternoon managed to match the early starters, although South Korea's Charlie Wi looked like presenting an Asian challenge at this co-sanctioned event before bogeys at the 15th and 16th knocked him back down.

Briton Colin Montgomerie, who missed the cut at the US Masters two weeks ago, bogeyed his final hole after finding the water to drop into a share of fourth with six other players on three-under.

Wi, Dane Thomas Bjorn, Australian Marcus Fraser and Frankie Minoza of the Phillipines, Ireland's Peter Lawrie, France's Francois Delamontagne also shot 69s.

Leading first round scores:

67 -- Henrik Stenson (Sweden)

68 -- Jean Van de Velde (France), Stephen Gallacher (Britain),

69 -- Frankie Minoza (Philippines), Marcus Fraser (Australia), Thomas Bjorn (Denmark), Colin Montgomerie (Britain), Charlie Wi (South Korea), Peter Lawrie (Ireland).

70 -- Chapchai Nirat (Thailand), Ruangkit Boonchu (Thailand), Paul Lawrie (Britain), Wen-Chong Liang (China), Scott Drummond (Britain), Ted Oh (South Korea), Francois Delamontagne (France), Alessandro Tadini (Italy).

71 -- David Dixon (Britain), Bryan Saltus (US), Andrew Marshall (Britain), Jarrod Lyle (Australia), Shiv Kapur (India), Johan Edfors (Sweden), Richard Bland (Britain), Adam Groom (Australia), Alex Cejka (Germany), Miguel Angel Jimenez (Spain), Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano (Spain), Andrew Buckle (Australia), Garry Houston (Britain), Jose-Filipe Lima (Portugal), Danny Chia (Malaysia), Jason Knutzon (US), Jean-Francois Lucquin (France).—Reuters