Lonard leads on windy first day

Andrew Coltart plays from the rough. Allsport.

Australian Peter Lonard overcame a strong wind to take a one-shot lead on his debut at the Doha course in the opening round of the Qatar Masters golf tournament on Thursday.

The 32-year-old Sydney player made his experience of playing in the wind at home count as he produced a five-under-par 67 to lead Dutchman Rolf Muntz and young Englishman David Lynn by a stroke.

Only 12 players in the 144 field were under par on a day on which the 'Shamal' wind took a heavy toll.

Lonard, who has made five cuts out of six this year in a season in which he will once again play more on the European Tour, rose at 4.30am to begin his round and had to practise under floodlights before opening up with two birdies.

He collected seven in all, with two bogeys, to head the field. "It wasn't real good getting up that early but if I'm going to shoot 67 each time, then give me a 6.50am tee-off all the time!" Londard said.

"This type of wind is normal in Australia, so it didn't bother me. I'm used to it being blowy and the course being hard and bouncy.

"It's my first visit to Doha and the course is awesome. It gives you opportunity to hit with the driver on most tees, which is fantastic for my game."

Lonard played on the European Tour in 1991/92 before contracting 'Ross River Fever', a virus carried by mosquitoes, and being forced to miss touring for two years.

It then took two more years for Lonard to re-establish himself on the European Tour.

He finished 48th, 51st and 75th last year to retain his card, earning two second places on the way, the 1997 Johnnie Walker Classic and Heineken Classic of last year.

"I feel as though I'm really back to my old form," Lonard said. "In the last two years I've played well in parts but I haven't hit the ball as well as I did previously and I lost a bit of interest.

"I've put in a lot of work with my coach and now I'm expecting some results, so I'm going to play a full season in Europe. Last year I only played 13 events, not enough."

Muntz, the 1990 British Amateur champion, is -- like Lonard -- seeking to go one better after two European Tour second places in his six years on tour, fired up his round by hitting birdies on four of the last five holes.

Lynn, in his second year on tour, finished fifth in the South African PGA championship, and is finding form after receiving a putting tip from British Open champion Justin Leonard last week in the Desert Classic in Dubai. The Englishman carded four birdies with no bogeys.

Portuguese Open champion Gary Orr made a bid to complete a Scottish hat-trick in the Doha event after wins by Andrew Coltart in the first Qatar Masters and by British Open Champion Paul Lawrie, who is not defending his title, last year.

Orr's 70, on an afternoon when the wind whipped even stronger to leave only four players breaking par, gave the Scot a share of fourth place with another Australian, Stephen Leaney, and Austria's Markus Brier.

In the private battle for Ballesteros Trophy places, Mathias Gronberg stayed ahead of his two nearest challengers -- fellow Swedes Patrik Sjoland and Per-Ulrik Johansson. Gronberg, $30,000 ahead in the race for the European ninth card in the team event, shot a 71 to Johansson's 73 and Sjoland's 74.

Welshman Phillip Price is $45,000 ahead of Ireland's Paul McGinley for the British Isles ninth place and both shot 72s.

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