Australia’s Nikki Campbell is two strokes off the lead after the opening round of the Dubai Ladies Masters, but countrywoman Stacey Keating stole the spotlight early on.

While Campbell sits just two shots behind first-round leaders Shanshan Fenh and Carin Coch, who shot matching rounds of six-under par 66, Keating caught everybody’s attention with a stunning hole in one.

The 28-year-old, who ended the day four shots back from the leaders at two-under par, may have started with a bogey but she cleared that from her books quickly at the par-three fourth hole – which she aced using a seven-iron.

“It’s always nice to see a one on the scorecard,” Keating, who added two birdies on the back nine, said modestly.

Campbell, who holed six birdies and was five-under on the back nine, said she was looking forward to a summer Christmas on the beach with her husband in Australia, but admitted she was still eager to finish the year on a high.

“I’ve had a pretty good year so just want to have a good tournament to finish off and go home for Christmas and relax,” she said.

World No.5 Fenh and next year’s Solheim Cup captain Coch led the way to hold a one-stroke lead of over England’s Charley Hull, South African Lee-Anne Pace, Becky Brewerton from Wales and Korean amateur Lee Soyoung – with Campbell among a three-strong group a further stroke back.

Koch holed eight birdies – including five on the back nine and then three in the row from the second – mixed with two bogeys, in the morning.

“I putted really well today and hit a lot of good iron shots … and that makes all the difference,” she said.

Feng continued her love affair with the course where she won in 2012 and said: “I think we had so many birdie chances out there and I made seven, which is pretty good, because I think my putting was really working. If anything, I would say I can work maybe a little harder on my driving.”