Welllingboro’s Meghan MacLaren shared the first round lead in the Hero Women’s Indian Open, at Delhi’s DLF Golf and Country Club. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

WELLINGBORO’S Meghan MacLaren and Australian Whitney Hillier fired a pair of 67s to share the lead after a scorching opening round at the Hero Women’s Indian Open, as temperatures reached 35 degrees Centigrade, in Gurugram.

MacLaren was the first woman to post her total on the challenging Gary Player Course at DLF Golf and Country Club.

Starting at the 10^th tee at 6.45am, McClaren went out with four birdies in 32, before playing the front nine in 35, mixing four birdies with three bogeys.

Hillier, who started 10 minutes later, joined MacLaren at the summit after a bogey-free 67. She played the back nine in 34 and came in with 33 on the front nine.

MacLaren missed last year’s Indian Open – sponsored by the motorbike manufacturer, but tied for ninth in the 2017 event and feels it suits her strategic game.

The 25-year-old said afterwards: “I made a lot of birdies out there and felt really comfortable.

“I thought I was going to have a pretty low score but did a couple of stupid things. I can’t complain with where I am after round one.

“Conditions were perfect, actually. It’s not nice getting up at 4am or whatever.

“But whenever you’re first out and you’ve got an empty course in front of you, and really, really pure greens at that time of day, before it got sort of burning hot, it was nice and it was nice to take advantage of that, because it’s getting stickier and sticker.

MacLaren successfully defended the NSW Open title in March and recorded three additional top 10 finishes earlier this season, including second place in the Jordan Mixed Open and third in the Jabra Ladies Open.

The Golf Foundation Ambassador sits sixth on the order of merit and has the chance to top the ranking with a win on Sunday.

She added: “Today was only the first round and I got a little bit edgy and a little bit of butterflies, but I’ve missed that feeling.

“I haven’t had that for a while and when you’re in that situation, it’s not always nice – but it’s where you want to be.

“The alternative is that you’ve missed the cut or you’ve made the cut but you’re not playing for anything anymore, and it’s hard to bring out your best golf in those situations.

“I think it pushes you on and reminds you of why you do it,” added MacLaren

Hillier, meanwhile, is also in a rich vein of form and looking for her first tour win.

The 28-year-old from Perth, Australia, started with a bogey on the 10th having pulled her tee shot as a result of being slightly distracted by leaving her refillable water bottle in the washroom.

But she bounced back with three birdies in a row from the second. She then carded three birdies on the front nine, at the first, sixth and ninth holes to join MacLaren in a share of the lead.

Hillier said: “I made six birdies and I bogeyed the first hole, so I actually got that back pretty quickly. Overall I’m really happy with my performance. I hit my irons well and gave myself lots of birdie chances.

“The course is looking great, as well. Last time I was here it was 2015 and it has changed a lot since then.

“It is very, very impressive. It’s a beautiful golf course and one of the best in the world, I think.”

Norwegian Marianne Skarpnord and Hampshire’s Liz Young both played in the heat of the afternoon and are positioned just one stroke back on four-under, with Sweden’s Linda Wessberg in fifth on three-under.

Skarpnord, a winner at the Pacific Bay Australian Ladies Classic in February, needs to finish in the top three in India to lead the LET Order of Merit.

Skarpnord said: “I am pretty happy with my round. I played well on the front nine but didn’t make as many putts on the back nine.

“And then I finished up with a great three-putt, so my mood is not the best, but overall I’m happy with four-under.”

Brokenhurst Manor’s Liz Young during the first round. Picture by TRISTAN JONES

Young is looking for her maiden tournament victory and has an excellent record in the Hero Women’s Indian Open.

The Brokenhurst Manor pro ended in fifth place in 2015 and has never finished outside the top 30 in six appearances so far.

Young said: “I hit it well. The last two weeks I’ve been playing well, but I haven’t putted well and I haven’t managed any less than 32 putts in a round.

“I have a local caddie here called Suresh and he’s always caddied for me. He does such a good job on the greens and I managed to get 28 putts today.

“I managed to put everything together– the long game and the short game.

“I do enjoy playing here because it’s a challenge. You have to think about every shot and there’s no let-up,” said the former Faldo Series winner, in a week when Rory McIlroy caused a storm by daring to suggest the European Tour’s courses were not set up as hard as they should be.

Young, who took time off to have a baby after marrying fellow Brokenhurst member Jon, and who both played for Hampshire as amateurs, added, “It’s a really good test of golf.

“And even when you’re on the greens, they are not easy, so it’s a challenging and demanding golf course.”

The shot of the day belonged to Jyotsana Singh, a rookie professional on the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour in India, who aced the 16^th hole using her seven-iron.

•For live scoring in the Hero Women’s Indian Open click here.

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The Ladies European Tour will break new ground with the first professional event under the lights at Dubai’s Emirates Golf Club, in early May

DUBAI is set to host the first professional day-night golf tournament next month – the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic  will be played on the Faldo Course at Emirates Golf Club.

Golf course designer Sir Nick Faldo made floodlights an integral part of the design. Excitement is already building as fans look to witness and be a part of golfing history when the Ladies European Tour event is played under the lights.

Fifty-six leading professionals will be joined by three amateurs over the first two days for the day-night tournament taking place from May 1-3.

Among the players appearing are Northamptonshire’s Meghan McLaren, fresh off her appearance in the Jordan Mixed Open, where she finished second to European Challenge Tour’s Daan Huizing, and former English Women’s Amateur Champion Felicity Johnson, from the West Midlands, who has won twice on the LET.

Hetfordshire’s Hannah Burke, who claimed her maiden tour win in the Czech Republic, in 2015, Hampshire’s Liz Young and Essex’s Gabriella Cowley are also heading for the Middle East.

Lancashire’s Curtis Cup player Sophie Lamb, who turned pro in the autumn, joins former Royal Birkdale junior Florentyna Parker, who has three LET wins to her name.

Bristol’s Trish Johnson is the most successful player in the field having won 19 times in Europe and three times on the LPGA. The 53-year-0ld, who was crowned European No. 1 in 1990, has won four times on the Legends Tour.

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