South Africa's Richard Sterne and Wen-Chong Liang from China lead the way in the UBS Hong Kong Open after the opening stages of the tournament.

Liang was the clubhouse leader, but Sterne drew level with his opponent on the penultimate hole of the first round.

Both men are six under par and hold a one-shot advantage over Wen-Tang Lin, and are two strokes clear of a cluster of four players that includes England's Oliver Wilson.

Defending champion and pre-competition favourite Miguel Angel Jimenez is way down the leaderboard in joint-73rd position after entering the clubhouse one over par.

Liang was happy with his effort today, saying: 'My performance ... was good but there are still three days left.'

He added that his putting 'feels good', while he has been taking every hole in a patient, 'step-by-step' manner.

If Liang wins this week, he will become the first Asian in a decade to take the Hong Kong Open title.