Solid putting puts English Parker ahead of the pack in Dubai
English Florentyna Parker showed a fiery short game in the opening round of Omega Dubai Ladies Masters 2012, as she posted a 66 to surge to the top of the leaderboard, along with Chinese Shanshan
Feng.
The first round of the season-ending LET (Ladies European Tour) battle, being staged at the Majlis Golf Course, Dubai, saw Parker unveil her best putting skills on almost all the holes.
The English star rattled off seven birdies—something enough to put her ahead of the entire lineup. However, the round was not without flaws and lapses, as she carded a bogey on the difficult
par-3 7th hole.
Parker started the round with a birdie on the first hole. She then parred the next hole and launched another birdie on the par-5 third hole.
The resilient golfer did not stop ramping up pressure on rivals, as she posted two more birdies on the front nine, bringing her score to a 32.
On the back nine, Parker remained as cautious as she was at the start of the day. She sank two straight birdies on the 12th and 13th hole, further cementing position
on the leaderboard.
Speaking to the media at the end of the round, the LET titan said that she focused on her short game, which paid off in the end.
Having spent nearly two months in Dubai, working hard on her game on the practice range, Parker feels more confident than most of the other contenders.
“I do usually do well on this course. It suits me,” said Parker who finished 9th in the 2011 edition of the tournament.
“My putting was really good today. I hit 14 greens, had 26 putts, so I rolled them in nicely and yeah, got off to a good start and had one bogey. I've always done well on this course and
I enjoy it and I feel so comfortable here”.
With a big score on her card at the end of the opening round, Parker is now looking to further tighten her grip on the match, but it remains to be seen how she tackles pressure from her nearest
rivals.
Feng also dominated the lineup throughout the round, but created a few clear-cut opportunities for other LET stars.
Tags: