At the Abu Dhabi Golf Club course, the 21-year-old shot three-under-par (69), to sit in equal fifth heading into day two.

"I started off nearly running late to the tee, as I was just stuffing around a little - it wasn't a great start," Bennett said.

"Then I ended up having a double on the third and 13th holes.

"I just kept telling myself it's a marathon, not a sprint - just take it easy.

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"No bogeys for the rest of it, mixed in with a few birdies and you'll be back in it, which thankfully happened and I managed to keep my score steady.

"Considering all that, I'm really excited with how it all went - it was good to set a bit of a bar for myself to build on for the next few rounds."

The St Johns alumna sits three shots behind Thailand's leader Natthakritta Vongtaveelap, who managed a 66 on day one.

While Bennett is joined by Australian teammate Cassie Porter at three-under, heading into day two.

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"Hopefully I have an earlier tee time in round two, so I can miss some of the heat but this performance has given me plenty of confidence going into the next 54 holes."

Adding to the motivation for Bennett in the United Arab Emirates is the winner gets an invitation to The AIG Women's Open, The Amundi Evian Championship (both majors), the Hana Financial Group Championship and the Augusta National Women's Amateur.