Lewton, who had full status on European Tour in 2011, played 34 holes on Friday, with just a 50-minute break in between rounds of 70 and 69.

"I just tried to keep my momentum going from this morning because I was playing pretty well towards the end, so my goal was to just try to keep playing like that," said Lewton, 35.

"Luckily, I won't be starting until late on Saturday, so I'll try to get some rest and recover, and get my head in the right space."

Quek, 35, played on the Tour in 2014 and 2015, and is happy to be back in Haikou where he earned his card for this year at the second International Qualifying Tournament in February.

"I think the conditions are great. I have always liked conditions in Haikou," Quek said. "I think the course has a great design and I have a lot of fond memories here."

Every tournament on this year's PGA Tour Series-China offers 1.5 million yuan ($237,000), a 25 percent increase over purse levels from 2016.

The PGA Tour established PGA Tour Series-China in 2014 as its third international developmental tour, following in the footsteps of PGA Tour Latinoamerica and the Mackenzie Tour – PGA Tour Canada. Since its inception, PGA Tour Series-China players have received Official World Golf Ranking points for top finishes at official tournaments.