Gursimar takes lead in women's golf meet

Bengaluru, Aug 23 (IANS)  In the ninth leg of the Hero Womens Professional Golf Tour, Gursimar Badwal carded the opening days only sub-par round of one-under 71 to take sole lead, on Wednesday.

While Gursimar went into the lead, the two top stars, Vani Kapoor and Amandeep Drall, who between them have won five of the eight events this season, had a disappointing start. Vani shot five-over 77 and Amandeep was further behind with 78.

The 24-year-old Gursimar, who hails from Kapurthala, won in Mumbai in February, 2016. On Wednesday at the Prestige Golfshire, she did not have a great start with two bogeys on second and third holes and she turned in two-over after another bogey on sixth and her first birdie of the day on eighth. But Gursimar found her rhythm on the back nine, with four birdies.

She birdied the 10th and then found three more in a span of four holes from 14th to 17th besides a bogey on 15th and ended at one-under 71.

Gursimar was two shots clear of amateur Ridhima Dilawari, who also birdied 16th and 17th enroute to a 73.

Four players, including amateur Pranavi Urs and Gaurika Bishnoi, who has not finished outside Top-10 this season in any of her eight starts, Neha Triptahi and Mehar Atwal shot 74 each to share the third place.

Siddhi Kapoor was seventh with 75, while Sonam Chugh, Suchitra Ramesh and Afshan Fatima were tied eighth with rounds of 76 each.