Golfer Vani grabs lead on opening day of Hero Women s Tour

Pune March 22 (IANS) Delhi golfer Vani Kapoor carded the only sub-par round of one-under (70) to take the lead on the opening day of the Rs 6 00 000-Hero Womens Professional Tour 2017 at the Poona Club Golf Course here on Wednesday.

Trailing her in tied second position were Amandeep Drall Gursimar Badwal and Gaurika Bishnoi all with a score of four-over (75) on the par-71 course.

Vani played out a front nine of fluctuating fortunes carding two birdies on the fourth and eighth holes. She however dropped shots on the fifth and ninth. She started the return at level-par playing a more controlled and bogey free back nine with a solitary birdie on the 10th.

Panchkula s Amandeep had an indifferent start carding a bogey on the second hole but was able to neutralise the damage with a birdie on the seventh on her way out. On the return she could not sustain the momentum and carded a birdie-less round with bogeys on the 12th and 18th and also a double on the 17th.

Kapurthala s Gursimar Badwal would have hoped for a better start as she carded bogeys on the first second and fifth holes with a double on the sixth. Her lone birdie in the front nine came on the seventh. In her back nine she carded a birdie and a bogey apiece on the 12th and 13th holes respectively.

Gurgaon s Gaurika Bishnoi carded a birdie on the fifth hole followed by bogeys on the seventh eighth and ninth on the way out. The return saw a similar script with a birdie on the 15th followed by dropped shots on the 16th 17th and 18th.

Bengaluru s Sharmila Nicollet is placed fifth with a score of six-over (77) while Siddhi Kapoor Trisha Sunil and Shweta Galande are all tied sixth with identical scores of seven-over (78).

Delhi s Mehar Atwal took the ninth position with a score of eight-over (79) followed by Chandigarh s Saaniya Sharma in 10th position with a score of nine-over (80).

--IANS
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