Lonard answers the call

Burly Australian Peter Lonard is looking forward to more 4.30 a.m. wake-up calls if they have the same effect on him as yesterday.

The 32-year-old from Sydney, once nicknamed Big Foot because he left such an impression on greens, battled through strong desert winds to take the first round lead in the £474,000 Qatar Masters in Doha.

On a day when only 12 of the 144-strong field broke par, Lonard shot a five-under 67 to be one ahead of Dutchman Rolf Muntz and England's David Lynn - himself up at 4.15 to make his 6.30 tee-off time.

Ian Woosnam, without a win for nearly three years, is handily placed on a one-under 71, but 1995 Ryder Cup hero Philip Walton, making his first appearance since losing his tour card last year, fell back from two under at the turn to a one-over 73. That left him one shot behind best-placed Irishman Paul McGinley, whose fine start to the season continues.

And in front of one of the smallest crowds ever to attend a European tour event - not one of the world's current top 60 is playing - Seve Ballesteros, whose last victory was also five years ago, is in danger of another missed cut following a 76.

For most of the day he had just eight people watching him and they included his wife and son and four Taiwanese more interested in playing partner Yeh Weitze.

Lonard had more reason than most to protect himself from the windswept sand particles with wrap-around sunglasses.

In 1993 a mosquito bite caused Ross River Fever, a virus which inflicted such damage to his eyes that he was left with the binocularity of a 60-year-old.

Winner of the 1997 Australian Masters, he said: "I'm probably used to these conditions more than most. A wind like this is pretty normal in Australia and we're accustomed to playing on hard and bouncy courses. I have a pretty short swing and the lower you have to hit the ball the better I like it."

Four of the tees were moved forward a combined 110 yards to make life a touch easier and Lonard's four birdies on the inward half included one at the 156-yard 17th, where he was just a foot away from winning a BMW sports car valued at £26,500.

The 26-year-old Lynn from Staffordshire was the only man not to have a bogey on his card and he was also close to a hole-in-one at the 17th, hitting a seven-iron to two feet.

Muntz is no stranger to links-style golf either, having won the 1990 British Amateur title at Muirfield and he birdied four of the last five holes to take a share of second place.

Woosnam did the same to repair a bad start, but Ballesteros finished double bogey-bogey.