Coming off her first top-10 finish as a pro, China's Lu Meiping shot a three-under 69 Friday to take the first round lead at the 50,000-U.S.-dollar Beijing Renji Challenge, one shot ahead of Thailand's Porani Chutichai (70).

Playing under warm and sunny conditions at the Renji Golf Club in Beijing's northern Huairou district, Chinese amateur Wang Ziyi was alone in third following a 71 in the third leg of the China LPGA Tour season.

Five players, including Chinese Taipei's Chen Ming-yen, American-based Thai Walailak Satarak, Japanese amateur Yu Okamura, and Chinese amateur Ji Rong and compatriot Wang Wenwen, were at even-par 72.

With the weather chilly and overcast in the early morning, Lu's game warmed up as the temperature started to rise. After bogeys at holes three and four, the 29-year-old Shanghai native birdied the ninth hole when she got up and down and dropped a six-foot putt to make the turn at 37.

She then started the back nine with consecutive birdies, before finding trouble in the rough on hole 12 for a bogey four. Lu quickly turned it around when she used a wedge from 45 yards out for the first of another run of three consecutive birdies starting from the 14th hole.

"At the very beginning I played not well, had some lip-outs. But after I made a 20-foot putt for birdie at the 11th hole I feel more confident. But I got too excited and that's why I bogeyed the next hole," said Lu who was equal 10th at the Yangzhou Challenge last month. "I played a magical back nine today. It seems putts were dropping from everywhere."

Lu said she has had confidence in her game since Yangzhou and credited her turnaround to playing practice rounds with Ye Liying, the Japan LPGA Tour regular who won the season-opening Shanghai Classic.

"Her husband Rick told me, 'Your swing is good, don't panic. You should be confident.' I know I have a good swing, I just need to improve my short game."

Porani, winner of the Yangzhou Challenge and a domestic event in Thailand last week, displayed a hot hand early as she carded four birdies on the front nine to make the turn at 32. She then dropped strokes at the 12th and 13th holes before playing par golf back to the clubhouse. The 25-year-old Chiang Rai native had a chance to grab a share of the lead on the last but couldn't convert her birdie chance.

"I had a chance to get birdie from six feet out and I was hoping to see the line from another player, but she didn't show me anything and I missed," said Porani with a laugh.

"Before I play (my round today) I set a goal of even or one-under should be okay, because the first day you want to play safe. But after nine holes I was four under and set my goals higher, maybe you want to finish six or seven under, so kind of a little bit disappointing."

Porani, who won the Sat-Thai LPGA Championship last week in a playoff, was unsure if she could make it two in a row with a victory this week. In 2007 she won the Beijing Masters on the old Orient Masters Tour.

"Now I need to practice putting. After I finish practice I can tell what is going to happen tomorrow. But now I feel putting is my problem."

The third year of the CLPGA Tour features 16 events culminating in the US$250,000 Hyundai China Ladies Open this December in Xiamen, Fujian province.

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