Florentyana Parker rode on a blistering start to seize the early initiative ahead some of the big names in the field on the opening day of the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters at the Emirates Golf Club on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old from England carded a tidy 67 to take one shot over Russia’s Maria Verchenova, who is playing the tournament on an invitation from ‘golf in Dubai’, the promoters and organisers of the euro 500,000 event.
A foursome, led by defending champion In-Kyung Kim, were further one shot back.
American superstar Michelle Wie, who triple bogeyed the eighth after firing an eagle on the third, settled for a 71. “I am just happy to be done,” she said later.
Britain’s all-time great Laura Davies blamed her disappointing 75 – her worst round at the Majlis course – to a late night phone call which ruined her sleep, but sounded confident of staging comeback in the season-ending Ladies European Tour event where she needs a top two finish to win the Henderson Money List.
Playing her first tournament as a professional, UAE prodigy Rhea Nair scrambled home at seven over 79 which included one double bogey (on the 14th) and five bogeys.
It was Parker who held the centre-stage. The Hamburg-based player, who has been a member at Royal Birkdale in Lancashire for nine years, started with consecutive birdies at the long 10th and the short 11th holes. She picked up another shot at the 540-yard par-five 13th and then made a fantastic save on 14.
The second year Ladies European Tour player was on fire as she hit her tee shot to within five feet of the flag on the 15th resulting in a birdie and then sank a 12-footer for another on hole-16.
“I hit it really close and made the putts. It was really fun,” said Parker, who captured her maiden title on the Ladies European Tour in Holland in June and has recorded six additional top ten finishes this season.
“Then I had a par spell, and it was getting a bit boring and I wanted a few more birdies. But made birdie on six, which was nice. Dropped a shot on eight but was a tricky hole today. No, I’m really happy with my round.”
Conditions in the desert sun were a far cry from the freezing temperatures at home in Germany but Parker had been acclimatising over the last fortnight. She had been practising at nearby Al Badia Golf Club where her cousin Matthew Parker is the club professional.
“I love Dubai and I love the course and yeah, I got off to a great start. That’s what I struggled with last year. I always struggled the first round and was always a few shots behind and now I’m absolutely delighted that I gave myself a good chance,” she said.
American Wie had an eventful round that included three birdies, a bogey, an eagle at the par-five third hole and a triple bogey at the par-four eighth.
Wie got into trouble on the eighth, which she played as her 17th hole, after hitting her driver left into a sandy area by a tree and took an unplayable. After she dropped, the ball plugged in the sand and she hit a 52 degree wedge out, followed by a pitching wedge left of the green but didn’t make it up-an-down.
“I’m just happy to be done,” said the 21-year-old Hawaiian. “I thought that I played pretty good, hopefully make a couple more putts out there tomorrow and not have a seven on the card.”
Laura Davies struggled in her battle with Lee-Anne Pace for the 2010 Henderson Money List. Davies was tied for 58th after a three over 75 and blamed a lack of sleep after receiving a late night phone call.
“We felt a bit rough yesterday; I didn’t play particularly well, and so I was hoping for a good night’s sleep. And then get a phone call at one o’clock this morning and unfortunately could not go back to sleep,” she said.
“You do not like to make excuses, but from the word go, we were in trouble here. And did really well to shoot level on the front, and then made a ridiculous double bogey on 10 and then it was a real struggle. And to be honest, 3‑over is not a bad effort.”
Pace opened with a one-over 73 and said: “A lot of putts were short or missing the holes. I hit 13 greens which was okay, but I didn’t hit anything really close except for 16. The rest was just some bad decision making; too many bogeys unfortunately. I think I played okay and I’ve been working on a couple of things with my swing so it’s natural on the first day to struggle a bit. I’m looking forward to going low tomorrow and hopefully the putts will drop.”
Play resumes pm on Thursday at 7.10am. After Thursday’s second round the field will be cut to the leading 50 players and those tied.
First round scores at Dubai Ladies Masters:
67 - Florentyna Parker (ENG)
68 - Maria Verchenova (RUS)
69 - Julieta Granada (PAR), Marianne Skarpnord (NOR), Bo-Mi Suh (KOR), Morgana Robbertze (SA)
70 - Julie Greciet (FRA), Kym Larratt (ENG), Felicity Johnson (ENG), Anne-Lise Caudal (FRA), Melissa Reid (ENG), Veronica Zorzi (ITA), Caroline Afonso (FRA), Iben Tinning (DEN), Anna Nordqvist (SWE), Maria Hernandez (ESP), Carling Coffing (USA), Lydia Hall (WAL)
71 - Tania Elosegui (ESP), Diana Luna (ITA), Rebecca Hudson (ENG), Cassandra Kirkland (FRA), Michelle Wie (USA), Emma Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Stefanie Michl (AUT), In Kyung Kim (KOR), Pamela Feggans (SCO)
72 - Hazel Kavanagh (IRE), Elisabeth Esterl (GER), Lorie Kane (CAN), Lynnette Brooky (NZ), Jade Schaeffer (FRA), Stacy Lee Bregman (SA), Tandi Cuningham (SA)
73 - Elena Giraud (FRA), Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA), Carin Koch (SWE), Gwladys Nocera (FRA), Lee-Anne Pace (SA), Carlota Ciganda (Am) (ESP), Caroline Rominger (SWI), Jenni Kuosa (FIN), Jessica Ji (KOR), Becky Morgan (WAL), Louise Stahle (SWE), Alexi Thompson (USA), Rebecca Flood (AUS), Christina Kim (USA), Eva Steinberger (AUT)
74 - Anja Monke (GER), Linda Wessberg (SWE), Georgina Simpson (ENG), Kristie Smith (AUS), Holly Aitchison (ENG), Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (FRA), Elizabeth Bennett (ENG), Margherita Rigon (ITA)
75 - Emelie Lind (SWE), Malene Jorgensen (DEN), Krystle Caithness (SCO), Caroline Masson (GER), Marta Prieto (ESP), Sophie Walker (ENG), Laura Davies (ENG), Titiya Plucksataporn (THA), KM Juul (DEN), Elin Emanuelsson (SWE), Monica V.Christiansen (DEN), Julie Tvede (DEN)
76 - Karin Borjeskog (SWE), Martina Gillen (IRE), Lynn Kenny (SCO), Marjet van der Graaff (NL), Carly Booth (SCO), Vikki Laing (SCO), Trish Johnson (ENG), Kate Combes (AUS)
77 - Julie Maisongrosse (FRA), Diana D'Alessio (USA), Carmen Alonso (ESP), Federica Piovano (ITA), Nikki Garrett (AUS), Ursula Wikstrom (FIN), Lisa Holm Sorensen (DEN)
78 - Laura Cabanillas (ESP), Frances Bondad (AUS), Kylie Walker (SCO), Stefania Croce (ITA), Nicole Gergely (AUT), Johanna Lundberg (SWE), Ana Larraneta (ESP)
79 - Rhea Nair (IN), Riikka Hakkarainen (FIN)
80 - Mariana Macias Capuzzi (ESP), Anna Rossi (ITA), Maha Haddioui (MOR), Rebecca Coakley (IRE), Ludivine Kreutz (FRA), Hanna-Leena Salonen (FIN), Camille Fallay (FRA), Karen Lunn (AUS), Laurette Maritz (SA), Nathalie David-Mila (FRA)
81 - Tara Delaney (IRE), Naela El Attar (EG)
82 - Melodie Bourdy (FRA), Henrietta Zuel (ENG)
83 - Smriti Mehra (IN)
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