under 66 Thursday to take a share of the lead of the Qatar Masters with Andrew Coltart and Angel Miguel Jiminez after the first round. Stenson, who won in Qatar in 2006, had seven birdies at the Doha Golf Club. “Maybe I didn't play my best golf today, but I putted really well,” the 32-year-old Swede said. Five players trailed the leaders by a stroke: Robert Dinwiddie, Anders Hensen, Louis Oosthuizen, Brett Rumford and Lee Westwood. Six more are at 68. Coltart had five birdies and an eagle on No. 16 to get his 66. Jimenez had six birdies, including four on the front nine. Sergio Garcia (70) and 2007 champion Retief Goosen (69) were also still in contention, but defending champion Adam Scott (73) and American Ryder Cup star Boo Weekley (74) struggled. Westwood, a six-time Ryder Cup player from England, was happy with his first significant outing of the season. “I have not practiced a lot in the time over Christmas I didn't really know what to expect,” Westwood said. “I started really well with a good drive down 10 and didn't make a birdie. ... After six holes, I thought it was going to be one of those slow starts of the year where I'm a bit rusty, but it all came good in the end.” Perez one-shot clear In California - American Pat Perez, seeking his maiden PGA Tour title, conjured up thoughts of a magical 59 before grabbing a one-stroke lead in the Bob Hope Classic first round on Wednesday. Taking advantage of ideal scoring conditions, Perez fired a sizzling 11-under-par 61 on the Palmer Private course at PGA West, one of four venues hosting the five-round pro-am celebrity event. Canadian Mike Weir, the 2003 champion, eagled the par-five 18th on the same layout to open with a 62, finishing level with American left-hander Bubba Watson, who also played the Palmer course. Swede Richard S. Johnson, who started out on the Jack Nicklaus Private course at PGA West, was among a group of six bunched on 63, along with Americans Vaughn Taylor and Ben Crane. Perez, with his approach play in sparkling form on a calm day in the California desert, covered his first nine holes in a blistering eight-under 28 to raise hopes of a possible 59. After rattling up further birdies at the second and fourth, he bogeyed the par-three fifth, where his tee shot ended up short and right of the green, before completing the round birdie-par-birdie
