Golfer Vani takes lead on opening day

Delhi's Vani Kapoor displayed great patience and composure in difficult conditions to take the lead on Day 1 of the 11th leg of the Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) here on Wednesday.

Trailing Vani by one stroke are Amandeep Drall and amateur Aditi Ashok in tied second at the Rs.7 lakh event that will culminate on July 17.

Order of Merit leader Vani started well, carding one birdie on the sixth hole while dropping a shot on the last hole of the front nine. She started the back nine with a bogey but recovered soon with a birdie on the 14th. However, a bogey on the 16th marred her scoreline and she had to be content with a score of 1 over 73.

Aditi showed intent from the start and carded a birdie on the second hole. The local amateur could not build on the good start and dropped shots on the fourth, ninth and 11th holes to end the day with 2 over 74.

Panchkula's Amandeep Drall had an indifferent front nine with a lone birdie on the third hole while dropping a shot on the first along with two double bogeys on the sixth and ninth holes.

She started with much more aggression in the latter half carding four birdies on the 10th, 15th, 16th and 18th while dropping two shots on the 11th and 12th. Her total of five birdies was the most by any golfer on the day.

Delhi's Mehar Atwal carded two birdies on the third and sixth, dropping shots on the first, fifth, seventh and ninth. She played a birdie-less back nine with a bogey on the 13th to end fourth with a score of 3 over 75.

Delhi's Ankita Tiwana, Kapurthala's Gursimar Badwal and Kolkata's Neha Tripathi are tied fifth with 4 over 76.

Ankita carded a birdie on the first while dropping shots on the second, fourth, seventh, 14th and 16th. Gursimar, who could have easily played an under par round, carded birdies on the second, 16th and 18th. However, an equal number of bogeys on the fourth, 10th and 11th along with two double bogeys on the third and eighth undid her good work.

Neha carded one birdie on the sixth while dropping a shot on the first. She played a birdie-less back nine with two bogeys on the 12th and 16th and a double bogey on the 18th.

Sharmila Nicollet, Kolkata's Smriti Mehra, amateurs Trisha Sunil and Diksha Dagar ended in tied eighth with identical scores of 5 over 77. Sharmila, who is playing on her home course, dropped shots on the second, ninth, 10th and 17th along with a double bogey on the sixth. Her lone birdie came on the 18th.

Trisha carded three birdies on the ninth, 14th and 16th while dropping shots on the first, fifth, sixth, 11th and 15th along with a double bogey on the 12th. Diksha carded two birdies on the third and 10th while dropping shots on the second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, 14th and 18th.

Veteran Smriti Mehra played a birdie-less front nine with bogeys on the second, fourth, fifth and seventh. In the back-nine, she carded a lone birdie on the 11th along with a bogey on the 16th and 18th.