England's Johanna Head took the early lead at the Dubai Ladies Masters after carding a six-under-par 66 on the opening day at the Emirates Golf Club.
Head had six birdies in the round to finish two shots clear of Germany's Anja Monke.
Sweden's Maria Boden, Germany's Katharina Schallenberg and Italian Veronica Zorzi are all one shot further back.
Sweden's Annika Sorenstram, competing in her final tournament, is on two-under-par for a share of sixth place.
Head has recently been working on her short game with Ian Poulter, for whom her husband Terry Mundy caddies.
"He gave me a bit of a short game lesson and I've been working on that for the last couple of weeks. It's been really helpful," she said.
"I'll give Ian credit for helping me with my short game; definitely. He and my husband have been on at me to not chip short all the time and they are getting me to practise all the time so when on the fourth hole I chipped in I was thrilled."
Head had four birdies in the opening 10 holes and then finished with two more on the 16th and 18th.
Sorenstam enjoyed a strong start but then had a bogey on the 14th and two more to finish.
"I got off to a tremendous start. Played well for about 14 holes, and collapsed on the other four, which is a bummer when you feel so good about something and then you come in with such a terrible finish," she said.
"Luckily it's just Thursday and there's a long ways to go. The positive thing is I'm hitting some good shots and making some putts. Have to clean it up a little bit."
Collated first round scores in the Ladies European Tour, Dubai Ladies Masters, Emirates Golf Course, Majlis Course, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
(Gbr & Irl unless stated, par 72):
66 Johanna Head
68 Anja Monke (Ger)
69 Veronica Zorzi (Ita), Katharina Schallenberg (Ger), Maria Boden (Swe)
70 Felicity Johnson, Annika Sorenstam (Swe), Nina Reis (Swe), Emma Cabrera Bello (Spa), Virginine Lagoutte-Clement (Fra), Iben Tinning (Den), Ashleigh Simon (Rsa), Sophie Giquel (Fra), Laura Davies, Trish Johnson (USA), Carmen Alonso (Spa)
71 Karen Lunn (Aus), Frances Bondad (Aus), Jade Schaeffer (Fra), Julie Greciet (Fra), Tania Elosegui (Spa), Melissa Reid, Amy Yang (USA), Nikki Garrett (Aus), Martina Eberl (Ger), Anna Rawson (Aus), Lynn Brooky (Nzl), Martina Gillen, Emma Zackrisson (Swe), Stefania Croce (Ita)
72 Hazel Kavanagh, Joanne Morley, Paula Marti (Spa), Charlotta Sorenstam (Swe), Dana Lacey (Aus), Maria Verchenova (Rus), Louise Stahle (Swe), Kirsty S Taylor, Julie Tvede (Den), Leah Hart (Aus), Lydia Hall, Carin Koch (Swe), Samantha Head, Sophie Gustafson (Swe), Titiya Plucksataporn (Tha), Margherita Rigon (Ita)
73 Lora Fairclough, Ellen Smets (Bel), Catriona Matthew, Becky Brewerton (Gbr), Lisa Sorensen (Den), Louise Friberg (Swe), Georgina Simpson, Joanne Mills (Aus), Sofia Renell (Swe), Ludivine Kreutz (Fra), Jehanne Jail (Fra), Bronwyn Mullins-Lane (Aus), Cassandra Kirkland (Fra), Clare Queen
74 Linda Wessberg (Swe), Laurette Maritz (Rsa), Laura Cabanillas Gomez (Spa), Stefanie Michl (Aut), Lisa Hall, Lara Tadiotto (Bel), Ursula Wikstrom (Fin), Anna-Lise Caudal (Fra)
75 Marianne Skarpnord (Nor), Ana Larraneta (Spa), Rebecca Coakley, Lee-Anne Pace (Rsa), Gwladys Nocera (Fra), Sophie Walker, Caroline Afonso (Fra), Kiran Matharu, Henrietta Zuel, Cecillia Ekelundh (Swe), Melodie Bourdy (Fra), Anna Knutsson (Swe), Marina Arruti (Spa)
76 Anna Rossi (Ita), Rachel Bell, Natalie Booth, Lynn Kenny, Nathalie David (Fra), Joanne Clingan, Cecilie Lundgreen (Nor)
77 Jenna Wilson, Natascha Fink (Aut), Amanda Moltke-Leth (Den), Kylie Walker, Marjet Van Der Graaff (Ned)
78 Bettina Hauert (Ger), Marta Prieto (Spa), Nora Angehrn (Swi), Nicole Gergely (Aut)
79 Florence Luscher (Swi), Itziar Elguezabal (Spa)
80 Vittoria Valvassori (Ita), Anne Hansen (Den), Danielle Masters, Anna Tybring (Swe)
81 Federica Piovano (Ita), Eva Steinberger (Aut)
82 Elisabeth Esterl (Ger)
86 Sandra Meyer (Rsa), Zuzana Kamasova (Svk)
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