Donaldson puts it down to off-season work

Dubai: Jamie Donaldson was as surprised as anyone else when the early leader board showed his name tied at the top with Retief Goosen and Richard Green yesterday.

The Pontypridd-born Welshman played out of his skin in the first round of the Dubai Desert Classic at Emirates Golf Club to produce six birdies in a row and match his best ever score.

Donaldson didn't even know how well he had done until he had finished his round and returned to the clubhouse.

"I just concentrate on letting things happen and take one step at a time," said Donaldson. "I wasn't really aware of how many [birdies] I had. I knew I had quite a few and was surprised to see six in a row when I got in."

The Welshman's outstanding form in only his second tournament of the year was the result of a lot of off-season work with his coach Damian Taylor.

"It's just a big learning game," said Donaldson who is ranked No 71 in Europe. "You've just got to keep moving up the ladder and keep progressing and getting better, which is what I've been doing.

"I'm not working any harder on my game than I have before. I just did a lot of good work before I came out and it seems to be paying dividends.

"I hit a lot of good putts which I haven't been doing so well. I've had a lot of things that went well this week."

Dubai's mild winter may have aided Donaldson's first round success. He suffers from severe back pain caused by a spinal problem and finds warmer climates make him feel freer.

He said: "The problem is manageable as long as I keep going to the gym and do the exercises. If I stopped going to the gym, I might get a problem and there is no guarantee it will stay fine all the time.

"I feel more comfortable when it's warmer. I think there is less chance of me getting a problem with it."