Darkhorse Li Xinyang carded a surprising four-under 68 to lead the first round of the China Amateur Golf Futures Tour (GFT) event on Wednesday at the Beijing California County Golf Club.

Zhang Weiwei shot 69 to be second while Han Liang and Yu Chaoyu are tied for third with 71s.

It's the first time Li has taken part in the GFT, China's nationwide grassroots tour. He joined his Hainan provincial team three months ago after years of playing overseas and training in Canada.On the women's side, Yang Jiaxin and Zhang Jienalin shared the lead at one-over 73.

The Beijing stage is the third tournament of the GFT 2011 season. The fourth event will take place in Yiyang, Hunan province, next month.