Coakley in contention in Germany

Golf: Ireland's Rebecca Coakley is two shots off the lead at the end of the first round of the UNIQA Ladies Open at Golf Club…

Golf:Ireland's Rebecca Coakley is two shots off the lead at the end of the first round of the UNIQA Ladies Open at Golf Club Foehrenwald in Wiener Neustadt, Germany.

Coakley shot a four-under-par 68 to lie adrift of a five-way tie for the lead that includes England's Rebecca Hudson.

Hudson was joined by 17-year-old Austrian amateur Marina Sttz, Australian Nikki Garrett and Frenchwoman Julie Greciet with all five women shooting matching rounds of six-under-par.

The quintet lead England's Melissa Reid, Christel Boeljon from the Netherlands, Spain's Marta Prieto and the 2005 champion Federica Piovano of Italy on 67.

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Hudson, currently 58th on the Henderson Money List, carded six birdies with three in a row from the 10th for her best score of the season.

The 2008 Tenerife and Ladies English Open champion said: "I've had to change my golf swing because of a bad back. It's just not consistent and just needs practice. Today I seemed to have it under contI was playing well but then I birdied 15, 16, 17, as well so I played solid and finally sunk a few putts. It's always good to get off to a flyer in a three-day event."

Greciet enjoyed her best putting day of the season picking up seven birdies and one bogey on her way to her career best round.

"I think my putting was the key. I lost my putting this year and I don't know why but I had it today and it was great," said the 23-year-old.

Collated first-round scores (Par 72):

66 Marina Stutz (Aut), Rebecca Hudson (Eng), Nikki Garrett (Aus), Julie Greciet (Fra)

67 Melissa Reid (Eng), Christel Boeljon (Ned), Marta Prieto (Spa), Federica Piovano (Ita)

68Claire Aitken (Eng), Holly Aitchison (Eng), Caroline Masson (Ger), Elizabeth Bennett (Eng), Krystle Caithness (Sco), Rebecca Coakley (Irl)

69Margherita Rigon (Ita), Cassandra Kirkland (Fra), Beth Allen (USA), Karen Lunn (Aus), Sophie Walker (Eng), Trish Johnson (Eng)

70Morgana Robbertze (Rsa), Elin Emanuelsson (Swe), Mallory Blackwelder (USA), Melodie Bourdy (Fra), Hanna-Leena Salonen (Fin), Stefanie Michl (Aut), Anja Monke (Ger), Camille Fallay (Fra), Carly Booth (Sco), Frances Bondad (Aus), Riikka Hakkarainen (Fin), Km Juul (Den), Jeehae Lee (Kor), Georgina Simpson (Eng), Becky Brewerton (Wal), Veronica Zorzi (Ita), Laura Davies (Eng), Tania Elosegui (Spa), Tandi Cuningham (Rsa), Pamela Feggans (Sco)

71 Martina Gillen (Irl), Carin Koch (Swe), Alison Walshe (USA), Carmen Alonso (Spa), Maria Verchenova (Rus), Denise-Charlotte Becker (Ger), Johanna W Johansson (Swe), Lisa Holm Sorensen (Den), Linda Wessberg (Swe), Virginie Lagoutte-Clement (Fra), Mollie Fankhauser (USA), Hazel Kavanagh (Irl)

72Sandra Carlborg (Swe), Kyra Van Leeuwen (Ned), Ursula Wikstrom (Fin), Lee-Anne Pace (Rsa), Dana Lacey-Johnson (Aus), Julie Tvede (Den), Jessica Ji (Kor), Titiya Plucksataporn (Tha), Sophie Sandolo (Ita), Lisa Hall (Eng), Natascha Grossschadl-Fink (Aut), Bettina Hauert (Ger), Caroline Afonso (Fra), Rhian Wyn Thomas (Wal)

73Jo Pritchard (Wal), Caroline Rominger (Swi), Julie Maisongrosse (Fra), Florentyna Parker (Eng), Felicity Johnson (Eng), Lynn Kenny (Sco), Nina Reis (Swe), Rebecca Flood (Aus), Hannah Ralph (Eng)

74Elena Giraud (Fra), Maria Boden (Swe), Laurette Maritz (Rsa), Anne-Lise Caudal (Fra), Tara Delaney (Irl), Stefania Croce (Ita), Malene Jorgensen (Den), Kylie Walker (Sco), Sophie Giquel (Fra), Anna Rossi (Ita), Christine Hallstrom (Swe)

75Sarah Schober (Aut), Nathalie David-Mila (Fra), Kate Combes (Aus), Kim Welch (USA), Lydia Hall (Wal), Daniela Wagner (Aut), Kym Larratt (Eng), Elisabeth Esterl (Ger), Stacy Lee Bregman (Rsa), Johanna Lundberg (Swe), Emelie Lind (Swe)

76Clare Queen (Sco), Antonella Cvitan (Swe)

77Laura Cabanillas (Spa), Ana Larraneta (Spa), Eva Steinberger (Aut), Emma Cabrera-Bello (Spa)

78Lynnette Brooky (Nzl), Marlies Krenn (Aut), Smriti Mehra (Ind)

80Michaela Gasplmayr (Aut)

83Nicole Gergely (Aut)