DUBAI // It is often said in golf that a little local knowledge can help keep scores low and spirits high, something Liz Young could attest to on Wednesday at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters.
The Englishwoman was perched at the top of the leaderboard following the conclusion of the first round of the final tournament on the 2015 Ladies European Tour, sharing the summit with Spain’s Carmen Alonso.
While Young rightfully deserves the majority of praise for firing a six-under-par 66 that included eight birdies, she took the time post-round to doff her Ping cap to her caddie.
This week, Young has Omar Al Bastaki on the bag, a member at Emirates Golf Club, who is proving a significant help on mastering the Majlis greens.
Young took just 25 putts, six better than her season average.
So credit to Al Bastaki, too.
“He plays off scratch, I think,” Young said. “He’s a good golfer and knows these greens.”
Evidently.
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Al Bastaki appears to have struck up a good relationship with Young, given he caddied for her last year when she posted her best Dubai finish – fifth – and he carried the bag the year before that, as well. Young, sitting 225th in the world and 32nd on this season’s Order of Merit, hopes this could be third time lucky.
“The start of every tournament, my goal is to win it,” she said.
“I know I’ve got to play good golf, and especially this tournament there’s a lot of good competitors playing here and a lot higher ranked than me, but I feel like that I can win the tournament.
“That’s why I enter them.”
The chasing pack is stacked with pedigree.
Shanshan Feng, the defending champion and the highest-ranked player in the field at world No 6, is only one shot off the pace after a blemish-free round sparkled with five birdies.
Laura Davies, the World Golf Hall of Famer, is one shot farther back.
Given the strong start, it was suggested Feng might want to recalibrate her targets for this week. She simply trotted out the typical line.
“I got asked that many times, but you guys know my answer: top five is good,” she said.
“I don’t even know where I’m at. I know I’m five under. It’s a good start.”
The same could be said for Alonso, who came in in the second-last group, not to mention somewhat under the radar.
The Spaniard has played only five events on this year’s calendar and missed the cut in each, since she has had a serious illness in the family to deal with, which understandably shifted focus from her game.
Thus, she is a little rusty, although that certainly did not seem the case as she rattled off six birdies to move alongside Young late on.
A victory could be the perfect fillip not only for Alonso, but for her mother.
“This year was a tough sure; my mum had cancer in the lung,” Alonso said.
“She had the operation in October, now everything is good. So I was struggling a little bit with my golf. Sometimes you lose your happiness to play on the golf course.
“Obviously when your mum is like this, it’s better to be home with the family because family is more important than golf. Our family, we are so much together.
“Now that everything is right, I can do what I want and I’m happy.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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