Lavanya makes late surge to take sole lead

Noida, Nov 12 (PTI) Young Lavanya Jadon, who claimed her first professional title about six weeks ago, grabbed the pole position with three birdies in the last five holes of the first round at the 15th Leg of Women's Pro Golf Tour here Wednesday.

The 18-year-old golfer from Gurugram, who is playing her first season as a pro, fired a solid 4-under 67 to take sole lead at the Jaypee Wishtown par 71 layout.

She is now one shot ahead of amateur Mahreen Bhatia and Sneha Singh, a former winner of the Order of Merit, who pulled in back-to-back birdies on the back nine to card 68.

Four players, including the Order of Merit leader Vani Kapoor, Heena Kang, Ridhima Dilawari and Anvitha Narender were tied for fourth with rounds of 2-under 69 each.

Three other players, Jahaanvie Walia, Amandeep Drall and Ananya Garg carded 1-under 70 each to be Tied-eighth, as ten players carded under par rounds on a good scoring day.

Lavanya, playing in the last group of the day, birdied the first and sixth against one bogey on the fourth for a 1-under front nine.

On the back nine, she picked up the pace and birdied the 14th, 16th and the 18th for a good round of 67 to give herself a chance of a second win in her first season.

Mahreen, a multiple medallist at the US Kids Golf World Championship in the United States, had a good day with five birdies, including one of them at the closing 18th, against two bogeys.

She birdied the third, seventh, 12th, 14th and the 18th and dropped shots on the eighth and the 17th.

Sneha, one of the only three players to have won more than once this season, had four birdies against one bogey. Her gains came on the second, eighth, 14th and the 15th holes, while her sole dropped shot was on the Par-4 sixth hole. Sneha played alongside Khushi Khanijau (72) and Nayanika Sanga (76), who had a rough day.

Vani Kapoor, looking for her sixth win of the season, opened with a bogey and then had a birdie on the second. She had a great run for three birdies in a row from the seventh to the ninth.

On the back nine, bogeys on the 10th and the 12th set her back somewhat but she picked a late birdie on the 15th.

Heena also had a hat-trick of birdies from the fourth to the sixth among her four birdies, but back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and the 17th pulled her down to 69 and tied fourth.

Ridhima had four birdies against two bogeys and Anvitha had five birdies against three bogeys, two of which came on Par-5s.

Four players, including two very promising amateurs, Saanvi Somu and Shambhavi Chaturvedi, brought home cards of even par 71 to be Tied-11th. PTI Corr AT AT AT