Hall eyes Euro hat-trick

England’s Lisa Hall set her sights on becoming the first three-time winner on this season’s Ladies’ European Tour after taking the halfway leads at the Dubai Ladies’ Masters but Laura Davies was hard on her heels at the Emirates Golf Club.

Hall, the 40-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent, had half a dozen birdies in a 69 to stand on eight under par 136, while Davies birdied the last three holes for a 70 and finished one shot back on seven under.

Louise Stahle needed 10 shots more than her opening course record 64 but was still in joint third place on six under, while Annika Sorenstam, the defending champion, was four off the lead on four under after a second successive 70.

For Hall, a third win would complete a remarkable season. She won the 1996 Welsh Open in Europe, played in the Solheim Cup and then was named the 1997 Rookie of the Year on the US-based LPGA Tour before a complete loss of form forced her to spend a few years out of the game.

But the Florida-based golfer – she is married to English professional Martin Hall – returned to the European circuit last year, and she completed a comeback to from this year with victory in the Northern Ireland Ladies’ Open and the Nykredit Masters in Denmark.

“It has been a very long journey,” admitted Hall of her struggle back to the top. “It’s the mixture of a lot of things – including hard work and perseverance. But I’m happy I’ve learned to play the way I do now.

“A win here would be great and I’ve now got two more rounds to end the year before I fly back to Florida for Christmas. But, whatever happens, it’s been a very good season.”

Davies, who won the Austrian Open in September, is seeking the 69th win of her long career and she made her move with long birdie putt at the 16th and 17th and then an easy two-putt four at the long 18th.

“I made a bit of a shaky start and it was so slow that it was difficult to get into a rhythm,” said the 44-year-old English woman. “But it was a very good finish.”

On her professional debut, the English Curtis Cup star Melissa Reid followed a 74 with a 72 to comfortably make the cut on two over par – but no such luck for American Solheim Cup star, Natalie Gulbis.

Billed as the star attraction, the US glamour girl shot 77 and 75 for eight over par and missed the weekend by a shot.