Fernandez-Castano leads on six under in Doha

Gonzalo Fernandez Castano holds a one shot lead after day one of a windswept Qatar Masters in Doha.

The Spaniard birdied four of his last five holes to finish on six under par - one ahead of John Daly.

KJ Choi and Jason Day are tied for third place on four under.

Michael Hoey and Peter Lawrie lead the Irish challenge on one under.

Fernandez-Castano could well take over top spot from Rory McIlroy in the race for Ryder Cup places if he wins this weekend and the 31-year-old from Madrid almost defied belief by grabbing nine birdies in all.

“I would have taken level par,” said the man who last year missed the cut in next-to-last place with two rounds of 78 and then was out of action for almost six months with a back injury.

He told Sky Sports: “We couldn’t see the ball landing on the fairways and I just tried to keep it as low as possible.

“I think I just got lucky and holed some important putts. Putting is the most difficult thing on a windy day.”

The desert storm was such that many players wore sunglasses to try to limit the amount of sand blowing into their eyes on what Daly called a “brutal” day.

Daly’s last victory was eight years ago, he no longer has a PGA Tour card and the last time he was in the headlines was for walking out of the Australian Open in November after hitting a succession of shots into a lake and saying he had run out of balls.

It was in a strong wind that he won the 1995 Open at St Andrews, but he did not expect this.

“I’m pretty shocked,” Daly said after keeping a bogey off his card.

“I had five and a half weeks off and really didn’t touch a club much.

“It’s one of the best rounds I’ve ever played in a wind like that. You feel like you are eating a lot of sand.”

Graeme McDowell won his duel with American Hunter Mahan – opponents in the decisive singles match at Celtic Manor two years ago – but 73 and 74 kept them both in the pack.

Ryder Cup captain Jose Maria Olazabal, who turns 46 on Sunday, reached five under, but bogeyed four of the last seven holes, while fellow Spaniard Alvaro Quiros – first, second and second the last three years – dropped three shots in his last two holes for a 72.

Sergio Garcia’s bogey-bogey finish left him on the same score, but world number four Martin Kaymer hit back from missing the cut in his Abu Dhabi title defence last week with a 71.

Fisher, now out of the world’s top 100 two years after being part of the Ryder Cup side, did not have a single birdie in his 81, while Stenson’s 82 included a triple bogey eight on the ninth.

The Swede was fourth in the world less than three years ago. Now he is 222nd.

And the bad news for the entire field is that the wind is expected to be even stronger for the second round.