Stahle leads in Dubai

Sweden’s Louise Stahle soared into the lead with a brilliant course-record 64, and it was also a good opening day for England’s Laura Davies and Lisa Hall at the Dubai Ladies’ Masters at the Emirates Golf Club.

Davies packed six birdies and an eagle into an opening 67 and shared second place with Hall, who had a bogey-free five-under round.

But Stahle was a class apart. She opened with four straight birdies and had nine altogether to be a shot inside the record set by Annika Sorenstam in the first round last year. Today, Sweden’s defending champion had to make do with a 70.

Davies also had a number of highlights, notably the eagle at the 451-yard third where she hit an eight-iron second shot to 12 feet.

“This is my first time here, and I’m having a great time,” said the 44-year-old veteran.

“I loved the course in practice and even more so today. It’s set up really nicely for me and I played a really solid round of golf.

“I did have three stupid bogeys, and they were all the result of poor chips. The grass is quite tough round the greens. But apart from that, the rest of my game was in very good shape.”

Davies is seeking a second victory this season.

Scot Catriona Matthew – one of 10 players still in with a shout of earning the £15,000 (€20,900) bonus for topping the New Star money list on Sunday – was well-placed on 70.

But the player currently in sixth place in the list of earnings would have been even closer to the lead if she had not hit her second shot into water and taken a double-bogey six at the last.

On her professional debut, the English Curtis Cup star Melissa Reid shot 74.

The top amateur at this year’s Women’s British Open, the Derbyshire golfer surprisingly failed to get a full card at the Ladies’ European Tour qualifying school in Italy in October – and is playing this week on a sponsor’s invitation.