Golf

Ireland's Leona Maguire of Ireland smiles after her last putt on day one of the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic. — Photo jpimedia.uk

DUBAI — Women's golf broke new ground on Wednesday by staging the world's first professional day-night tournament, leaving one player fearing she may need glasses and a fair-skinned rival happy to have discarded the sun cream.

Ireland's Leona Maguire led the Dubai Moonlight Classic, part of the Ladies European Tour, with a course record eight-under-par 64 on an Emirates Golf Club course designed by Nick Faldo with floodlights an integral part of the design.

Maguire carded nine birdies and one bogey, completing her evening round by making a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th under the LED lights set against the glittering Dubai Marina skyline.

"It seems like night golf suits me. I can't really complain," said Maguire.

Fair-skinned Kylie Henry, one of a group of players tied for seventh on three-under-par, played in the morning on Wednesday but said she was looking forward to trying night-golf in the second round.

"I'm excited. For me especially, I'll be glad I don't need to keep re-applying sun cream once it gets dark, so that will be good," she said.

Sarah Kemp felt she may need to make some adjustments for Thursday.

"I've never played in the dark before and my eyes aren't that great. I have some glasses and I'm hoping that no-one's going to take any photos of me in my glasses," she explained.

"I might have to take them out. It might be interesting, but it's going to be fun. I've never done it before."  — AFP