John Daly shot a five-under-par 66 in the first round of the Hong Kong Open yesterday to lie two strokes behind Taiwan's leader Hsieh Chin-sheng, who claimed a course record.

The American used his power off the tee to shoot an eagle and four birdies in his first appearance in Hong Kong.

"I started really well with an eagle at my second hole and it kind of fired me up," said Daly, the 1995 Open winner. "I had a lot of opportunities; it's not been like that for a while.

"It's great to be playing well again. I played smart golf today, hitting irons off the tee when I thought I needed to. It was a solid 18 holes."

Hsieh, who won the Hong Kong title in 1988, enjoyed a hot putting streak in his 64, shooting seven birdies. In the $1.2 million Casio World Open, Tiger Woods made an eventful start to his first Japanese tournament when his wayward drive on the 10th hole at the Ibusuki course rebounded off a tree and hit a spectator in the face.

The fan received brief treatment on the spot and then followed Woods for the remainder of his first round, in which he finished with a three-under-par 69, two strokes behind the leader Naomichi Ozaki.