Smriti leads on Day 1 of Hero golf

Veteran Delhi golfer Smriti Mehra, with a score of six under 64, played a spectacular round Tuesday to lead the opening round of the ninth leg of Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour.

The Rs.6 lakh event is being played at the par-70, Clover Greens Golf Course Aug 27-29. Rookie Shweta Galande is placed second, carding a total of four under 66 at the end of the first round.

Smriti started her round in great style carding an eagle on her very first hole. Her early lead was, however, dented slightly with a bogey on the fifth hole. Smriti stabilised the rest of her round with birdies on the seventh, 10th, 12th, 14th and 18th holes, carding a total of six under 64.

Pune's Shweta finished with birdies on the fourth, 11th, 12th, 17th and 18th. She is trailing Smriti by two shots.

Delhi's Shraddhanjali Singh along with local amateur Aditi Ashok are tied for the third spot with identical scores of two under 68.

Shraddhanjali had a patchy start to her round with two bogeys on the fourth and ninth in her front nine. She managed to retrieve the situation by carding four birdies on the seventh, 10th, 12th and 18th and a bogey free back nine. Aditi had an average round with bogeys on the sixth, 14th, and 16th and birdies on seventh, eighth, 10th, 15th and 17th.

The event also saw the return of Sharmila Nicollet who was out of action nursing an ankle injury.

Sharmila put forward a good show with a mixed round of birdies and bogeys which included a double bogey on the first hole and two eagles on the seventh and 10th. Her bogeys came on the third, eighth, 13th and 15th and managed only two birdies on the second and 17th. Sharmila finished with an even par score and is placed fifth.

Leaderboard:

1. Smriti Mehra 64

2. Shweta Galande 66

3T. Shraddhanjali Singh 68

3T. Aditi Ashok (A) 68

5. Sharmila Nicollet 70