Using the ‘home advantage’ to the hilt, Gaurika Bishnoi fired the day’s best 4-under 68 to join Amandeep Drall, Finland’s Noora Komulainen and Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall in the lead at 5-under 139 at the halfway stage of the $400,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open Golf here on Friday.
As the DLF Golf and Country Club course tested the preparedness of all 114 golfers, only 11 broke par. The ‘cut’ at 8-over 152 left 64 players - including 12 Indian professionals and three amateurs - for the weekend action.
After overnight leader Linda Wessberg slipped to joint 10th by following her first-round 65 with an error-filled 77, rounds of 72 from Amandeep and Noora proved enough to share the lead. Caroline, the 2011 winner, shot a 71 to make it a three-player leaders’ group before Gaurika broke in.
Following a bogey-bogey start - a three-putt on the 10th hole and a missed fairway on the 11th - Gaurika faltered again with a chip-and-putt from 30 yards on the 1st hole.
Her longest birdie, from around 25 feet, came on the 6th hole while six others were from under 12 feet.
“I definitely set up a lot more birdie opportunities today. Playing on home course, some things come instinctively to me. I’ve been playing here for 13 years and it is just that you are so used to this golf course,” said Gaurika.
Amandeep, 30, could have finished better than a par round had she not dropped shots on her 15th and 16th holes for a back-nine 37.
Amandeep Drall in action at the $400,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open Golf in Gurugram. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Aditi Ashok reproduced an identical 35 of the first round on the front-nine of the course, during a bogey-free 71.
Tvesa Malik, who followed her first-round 69 with a horrendous 79, ended with triple bogey for a back-nine 41. In contrast, Sehar Atwal (73, 79) made the cut on the bubble, thanks to her hole-in-one on the 16th hole.
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