Becky Morgan fired course record at LET Tipsport Golf Masters

Becky Morgan took advantage of an early tee time the at Golf Park Pilsen in the Czech Republic to match the course record in the first round of the Tipsport Golf Masters.

The Welsh star fired an entertaining nine-under 62 to open up a two-shot lead over the field on a day when sweltering conditions hampered the later starters, with temperatures reaching 37C.

Morgan rolled in a 20-foot putt for eagle at the 14th and holed another from similar range at the ninth - her last - while also carding seven birdies and two bogeys to equal the course record jointly held by Laura Cabanillas and Anne-Lise Caudal.

"It was a perfect morning and we had no breeze at all," Morgan said. "The breeze picked up a little on the last two holes but I’m sure we had the best of the conditions. I had two eagles today on par fives which I don’t think I’ve ever done, and a couple of birdies and bogeys.

“I think the key to this golf course is hitting the fairways. It’s not a long golf course at all and if you hit the fairway you’re going to have short irons into the holes which is probably the strength of my game.

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"A lot of courses are so long that I don’t hit a lot of short irons so it’s nice getting to hit some wedges into some holes and the par fives are very reachable.”

Denmark's Nicole Broch Larsen matched her best round on the Ladies European Tour as she opened with a 64, including nine birdies and a double-bogey at the eighth.

She said: "I played very solid. I only hit 13 greens, but some were on the fringe so I could putt them. I putted well and it could have been better but I’m happy with seven under. I made a mistake on number eight where I hit it to the right but I made a lot of birdies afterwards so it was a great bounce back."

French veteran Gwladys Nocera and Fabienne In-Albon of Switzerland are a further stroke behind, while Emma Goddard is the leading British challenger on four under.

Melissa Reid returned a solid 68, and she needs a top-eight finish to jump ahead of Anna Nordqvist into fourth place on the LET points list for the Solheim Cup, with the top four players being confirmed on Carin Koch's team on Sunday evening.

Meanwhile, Dutch rookie Anne van Dam produced the shot of the day as she made a rare albatross two when she holed her second to the par-five 14th.

The 19-year-old, who went on to hand in a 73, said: "All my irons today were so bad so I said to my caddie, let’s make this a two or a three. My second shot landed two metres short of the pin and rolled in."