WPGT: Amandeep blazes on back nine to take lead

Amandeep Drall has a three-shot lead over second-placed Jahanvi Bakshi after the first round of the fifth leg of the tournament.

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: Amandeep Drall was the only player to score under par in the first round.

Amandeep Drall played a sublime back nine with four birdies and no bogeys to make up for lapses on the front nine to take the lead in the fifth leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour here on Tuesday.

Amandeep, who is yet to win on the domestic tour this season, was the only player to score under par in the first round. She took a three-shot lead over Jahanvi Bakshi (72), while Rhea Purvi Saravanan and Nayanika Sanga shot 2-over 74 each to be tied-third. Pranavi Urs, Seher Atwal, Astha Madan and Durga Nittur carded 3-over 75 each and were tied-fifth.

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Six players, including one amateur, were tied-ninth at 76 each, including Rhea Jha, Asmitha Sathish, Gaurika Bishnoi, Ridhima Dilawari, Saaniya Sharma, and amateur Nishna Patel. Hitaashee Bakshi, who already has a win this season, was 15th.

Amandeep began with a birdie on par-3 third but dropped a shot on par-5 fourth, which was not playing easy, though Vani Kapoor (78) and Neha Tripathi (78) birdied the same hole. Amandeep had a second bogey on par-5 eighth and turned in 1-over 37. On the back nine, she picked shots on 10th, 14th, 15th, and the 17th.

Jahanvi dropped three bogeys between third and sixth but also had a birdie on fifth. She steadied herself and birdied the ninth to turn in 1-over 37. On the back nine she had one birdie on par-5 15th and parred the rest for a day’s work of 72.

Rhea had three birdies against three bogeys and a double bogey, while Nayanika had two birdies against four bogeys.