Wahlin fires 66 to lead Dubai Ladies Masters

Sweden's Lotta Wahlin made an emotional return to Dubai by firing a round of 66 to take a one-shot lead in the opening round of the sixth Omega Dubai Ladies Masters at the Majlis course of Emirates Golf Club on Wednesday.

Forced to return home two years after being diagnosed with skin cancer, the 28-year-old who celebrated her birthday a day earlier, reeled off five of her seven birdies on the back nine (the more difficult front nine of the course) to come back in five-under par 30 and nose ahead of early leader Becky Brewerton of Wales who finished on five-under.

Having skipped the Ladies European Tour (LET) last year to recover from her malignant skin condition, Wahlin shrugged off bad memories of her last visit to Dubai to stay atop the leaderboard in the 500,00 euro (Dh2.5 million) event.

South Africa's Tandi Cunningham had a glorious opportunity to join Wahlin at the top but a triple bogey on the 18th saw her slip to joint seventh.

Minea Blomqvist, Julieta Granada, Stacy Lee Bregman and Linda Wessberg were among four players in joint third two shots off the pace.
 

"Well, I'm so happy. I finally had a good round, finally able to make all the putts. I'm just so happy," said an elated Wahlin.

"I didn't really make any mistakes, and I was just playing very solid, and like made all the putts pretty much," said Wahlin who teed from the 10th.

Talking about her health condition which nearly derailed her career, Wahlin said: "Well, I got this in 2009. Actually when I was here in Dubai, the doctor called me.  So I just went back home, and it was just a birthmark, which I had here. They removed it, and everything has actually been fine since then. I just have to be very careful with the sun to use like sunblock, like 50. And I'm not going to Australia or Portugal, the sunniest countries to try to avoid the sun as much as possible."

Her ailment has put playing golf in perspective.

"Golf is not so important anymore.  If I have a bad round, I'm still disappointed, but it's not like the end of the world like it used to be.  So that's like the good thing. But also I started to think a lot, and it was very difficult," she said.

She felt like a rookied after returning to LET from playing on the Swedish tour last year.

"When I got here this year, everything was kind of new again. I felt like a rookie.  There was so many players, and the Swedish tour is a very good tour, but it's still a big difference to here," she added.

She was not surprised by her performance, sinking a six-metre on her final putt to clinch the lead.

"I'm just very happy to have such a good round. And really, it feels so good, but the thing is I don't really feel a very big difference from the game I played like last week. Sunday I shot 78, and I wouldn't say that was a big difference and now I shot 66. It's just there was more margin. But of course, I'm very happy to know that I'm able to shoot a low score," she said philosphically.

Asked about her expectations this weekend, she said: "I want to do the same thing tomorrow and then Friday and Saturday. No, I mean I just want to go out and have fun.  I had a lot of fun today and I just want to do the same thing and hopefully I'm going to score well as well."

American Michelle Wie, the highest ranked player in the field, finished later in the afternoon with a one-over par 73 round, while 16-year-old history-maker Alexis Thompson closed with three straight birdies for a two-under par 70.

Linda Wessberg of Sweden, Minea Blomqvist of Finland, Julieta Granada of Paraguay and Stacy Lee Bregman of South Africa were tied third on a 68.
 

Thompson, who earlier this year became the youngest player ever to win on the LPGA Tour, was delighted with the way she finished her round - making birdies on each hole from the 16th onwards.

"I feel pretty good. I hit it really well. It's just I struggled with my putter until the 16th hole, then I figured something out, and it went well for the last three," said the American world No.53.

"I'll work on my putting for a little bit, what I was working on for the last three holes and go out strong tomorrow and the next three days."

Wie, who finished second and sixth in her previous two visits to Dubai, made three bogeys apart from birdies on the 16th and 18th holes.

"It was frustrating. I just felt like it was just one of those days where nothing really went in - nothing kind of went my way. I just kind of grinded out there and it was pretty frustrating that I was one-over-par today," said the 22-year-old.

"During the last nine holes, I felt like the wind judgment was a little bit difficult for me. So hopefully, I will judge it better tomorrow and just go out there and make some more birdies."

Leading first-round scores:

66 - Lotta Wahlin (SWE)
67 - Becky Brewerton (WAL)
68 - Minea Blomqvist (FIN), Julieta Granada (PAR), Stacy Lee Bregman (RSA), Linda Wessberg (SWE)
69 - Jaclyn Sweeney (USA), Lee-Anne Pace (RSA), Elizabeth Bennett (ENG), Christel Boeljon (NED), Tandi Cuningham (RSA), Julie Maisongrosse (FRA), Diana Luna (ITA), Maria Verchenova (RUS), Beth Allen (USA)
70 - Liebelei Elena Lawrence (LUX), Margherita Rigon (ITA), Becky Morgan (WAL), Sophie Giquel-Bettan (FRA), Stacey Keating (AUS), Alexis Thompson (USA), Alison Walshe (USA), Karen Lunn (AUS), Charlie Douglass (ENG), Elisabeth Esterl (GER), Cassandra Kirkland (FRA), Caroline Afonso (FRA), Caroline Westrup (SWE)

Selected
Michelle Wie - 73
 

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