By Kent Gray
Having missed eight of a possible nine 2020 cuts leading into the OMEGA Dubai Moonlight Classic, not even Caroline Hedwall gave Caroline Hedwall much chance of featuring on The Faldo this week.

There is no cut at the 54-hole Ladies European Tour Pro-Am, mercifully, but after her opening 10 holes on Wednesday evening the 31-year-old Swede must still have feared another ho-hum week was in the offing. There was nothing overly alarming about her bogey-free start but Hedwall was chugging along relative to German Laura Fuenfstueck, the clubhouse leader at -5, and others out in the evening wave.

But if this crazy old year has taught us anything, it is to expect the unexpected. So it proved as the duel LET and LPGA Tour member produced a slam dunk hole-in-one on the 17th amid a late Faldo birdie fest to rocket to the first-round lead.

A stunning seven-under-par 65 – after picking up all seven shots to par in her final eight holes – will see Hedwall start Thursday’s second round with a two-stroke lead over Celine Boutier after the French Solheim Cupper returned a floodlit 67 to match Fuenfstueck’s daylight equivalent. Former world No.1 Lydia Ko mixed six birdies and an eagle with four bogeys in a 68 and lurks ominously in solo 4th, a shot ahead of four players on -3 including defending champion Nuria Iturrioz and Dubai-adopted Scot Alison Muirhead. Just 13 of the 56 players bettered par.

Starting the evening shotgun on the 6th, Hedwall went unnoticed by the TV cameras until she backed up a birdie on 16 with her pin-breaking ace on the 17th (her 12th hole) with a sweet six-iron struck exactly 162 yards. Indeed, it was so flush, Hedwall feared the worse.

“I heard how it hit the pin and then I thought it came off [the green] because something white flew off the flagstick. I thought my ball was in the bunker. I walked up and saw a ball in the bunker and remarked ‘there it is’ but my Pro-Am partner said that it was his ball. So I walked up to the hole to double-check and it was there,” said Hedwall. “I realised just after the hole-in-one that I’d won a [OMEGA] watch, which is cool.”

Hedwall went on to birdie the tricky 18th, added a birdie two on the 2nd and further gains on the 3rd and 5th. She has pedigree – six LET wins – if not recent form – she was 161st in the Race to Costa Del Sol standings and 159th in the world rankings heading into Dubai – to believe she can kick on this week even if the conditions are unusual.

“I made quite a nice few par putts on the front nine, which gave me momentum with my putting. Eventually, the longer ones fell in as well. It was a nice solid round of golf, I am really happy,” she said.

“Night golf is hard, particularly with my vision. I have to trust my caddy to see the ball for me. So it is tricky and hard to read the greens and [you must] be particularly careful seeing all the slopes and walk around the hole because it doesn’t come naturally when you stand behind it like you usually do.”

Fuenfstueck has played every event of this interrupted 2020 LET season and has eight top-10s in 32 career starts. A breakthrough win begs.

Laura Fuenfstueck.

“I came out to Dubai a bit early to practice on a few of the golf courses around here…there’s just so many nice ones so I just tried to prepare as well as I could. I’ve played as much golf as I could this year and although I still missed a few putts out there, I am really pleased with my day.”

The 25-year-old, like Kiwi Ko, will have to negotiate The Faldo’s LED lights in the second round but rather spookily predicted Hedwall’s pace-setting round and sees no reason why something similar can’t be achieved on Thursday.

“Perhaps there will be less wind and I think there is a low number out there so I am anticipating someone shooting as low as seven-under-par this afternoon,” said after her daylight round. “The greens are easier to read in the sun because you can tell the grain a bit more but maybe I will find out what it will be like tomorrow.”

Roll on the second round.

Lydia Ko lurks ominously but will need to negotiate The Faldo’s floodlights for the first time on Thursday.