Neven Basic of Australia took the first round lead at the $750,000 Volvo Masters of Asia with a six-under-par 66 on Thursday. The 30-year-old Australian produced a blemish-free card at Thai Country Club to lead by two shots from Chinese Taipei's Lin Wen-tang and Adam Blyth of Australia in the Asian Tour's season-ending tournament. Lin, one of this season's success stories with two wins, and Blyth shot bogey-free 68s while Singapore's Lam Chih Bing, runner-up in Cambodia last weekend, was among those lying a further shot back. Basic endured a nervous wait after missing the halfway cut in last week's Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open, placing in doubt his right to play here and his playing rights for 2009. Fortunately for Basic, his rivals failed to overhaul him on the rankings. A five iron tee shot set him up for an opening birdie at the par three third hole which got his game into gear. Basic registered five more birdies to take pole position on day one but knows it is still a long race ahead in his hopes for a maiden Asian Tour title. Zanotti snatches lead In South Africa, little-known Fabrizio Zanotti of Paraguay was the surprise leader after the South African Open first round on Thursday. Zanotti fired an eight-under-par 64 to open a one-stroke advantage over Swede Oskar Henningsson at Pearl Valley Golf Estates on the Western Cape. Four-time winner Ernie Els opened with a 67 while fellow South African James Kingston, the holder, returned a 72. World number eight Henrik Stenson of Sweden shot a 70. The 25-year-old picked up four birdies in five holes from the third and atoned for a bogey at the 10th with another sparkling run of five birdies in eight holes from the 11th. Zanotti's tee shot at the 386-yard 10th splashed into a fairway bunker and left him with a terrible lie. Sharing third spot on 66 were South Africans Rory Sabbatini, Keith Horne and Jaco Van Zyl, British quartet Ross McGowan, Lee Westwood, Richie Ramsay and Gareth Maybin and Swede Ake Nilsson.
