JOIN US Local pro Sharmila Nicollet suffered a late collapse while Shweta Galande dished out a stable performance to hit the front after the opening round of the Hero-KGA Women’s Pro Golf Championship here on Wednesday.
Galande, who lost to Ankita Tiwana in the seventh leg last month, shot one-under 71 to take a one-stroke lead over Pallavi Jain.
Sharmila, having returned to the City just on Tuesday morning, appeared headed towards claiming the opening round honours but carded a bogey and a double bogey over the last two holes to share the third spot at 73 with amateurs Nikita Arjun, Anisha Padukone and Raksha Phadke.
Galande kick-started her round on a brilliant note, birdieing the opening hole itself after narrowly missing an eagle. She then picked up her second shot of the day on the seventh before bogeying the 11th.
Thereafter the Pune pro played percentage golf to grab pole position. Sharmila too made a fine start, birdieing the opening, sixth and seventh holes. She turned it with a bogey on the ninth but with pars on the next holes, she looked like taking the clubhouse lead before disaster struck. She bogeyed the 17th and stunningly double-bogeyed the 18th to slip to tied third. Vani Kapoor, who was coming into the event as the favourite, was three strokes behind the leader with a 74, with Anikita Tiwana.
Leading scores (after 18 holes, ‘A’ denotes amateur): 71: Shweta Galande; 72: Pallavi Jan; 73: Nikita Arjun (A), Anisha Padukone (A), Raksha Phadke (A), Sharmila Nicollet; 74: Anikita Tiwana, Vani Kapoor.