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Nick Watney lines up a putt on the 18th hole during the first round of the WGC-HSBC Champions at Sheshan International Golf Club on Thursday.

Even so, 13 of them made the trip and all but two broke par. Jerry Kelly was smiling at the way he ground out a 71 while using new grooves in his irons to get ready for next year.

“Got my first shank out of the way,” Kelly said with a laugh.

On the first of two trips to China this month, Watney made an immediate impression.

He birdied his first two holes from inside 10 feet, then hit a hybrid where he wasn’t aiming on the par-5 14th. He was playing away from the flag — and the water guarding the right side — pushed it slightly and was relieved to see it settle 30 feet behind the hole. He made the putt for eagle and turned in 31, then fired off four straight birdies.

“The greens are so good that if you hit a putt on line, it’s definitely going to go in,” Watney said. “So I was putting very well. Just tried to give myself as many chances as possible, and I was able to make a few.”

Watney also had a chance to win a WGC event at Doral, finishing second by one shot to Mickelson.

The 28-year-old American is making his first trip to Asia, though not his last. Watney decided a few months ago to play the World Cup the week of Thanksgiving at Mission Hills near Hong Kong. He wanted to stick around for a few weeks in between, but decided instead to return home to Las Vegas to rest.

Watney, who won at Torrey Pines earlier in the year, is not overly excited about leading after one day, nor was he the least bit concerned when a Chinese reporter mentioned that Woods was moving up the leaderboard.

“If it was Saturday night, I don’t know how well I’d be sleeping,” Watney said with a grin. “But just for Friday, I’m in a great position. At the same time, there’s a really long way to go. It’s always good to beat Tiger, and hopefully I can keep a little cushion between us.”