The conditions were quite similar in the first round of the opening leg of the Hero Honda Women’s Professional Golf Tour here on Wednesday.
However, local girl Sharmila Nicollet, not unfamiliar with the conditions here, opened up a two-stroke lead over Jaipur’s Pallavi Jain after carding a sedate level-par 72 in glorious weather for golf.
Sharmila, who swept the amateur circuit with her big-hitting prowess before claiming top honours in her maiden year as a professional last year, was expected to set the early pace and she did it in her own calm and composed style. The long-hitting was in full display, most of the times driving the ball 20-30 yards ahead of her playing partners.
But, Sharmila’s game around the greens, which is a crucial part of one’s game, continued to be scratchy with the 19-year-old missing at least three birdie opportunities despite being within sinkable distance.
“The greens were not very fast but the pin positions were tricky,” said Sharmila, who made three birdies and an equal number of bogeys.
“The weather was brilliant, but the intermittent winds proved to be a tough challenge. That is something I had not expected but hope to counter it tomorrow.”
After parring the opening three holes, Sharmila picked her first stroke in the par-four fourth hole with a neat chip from 12 yards before sinking the ball on her third shot from given.
Going steadily, Sharmila dropped her first shot in the eighth hole following a misjudgment, topping her second shot from right bunker as the ball soared over the greens and into the trees. But, the lanky lass kept her cool while minimising the damage just to a bogey.
The Banglorean dropped consecutive strokes on the ninth and tenth and just when her game appeared to be drifting away, she recovered herself with a birdie on the 11th and picked up a stroke two holes later.
Pallavi, playing in her fourth year as pro, endured a topsy-turvy round to stay within touching distance of Sharmila. The 23-year-old fired three birdies but an equal number of bogeys and a double bogey on the 11th ruined her card.
Leading scores: 72: Sharmila Nicollet; 74: Pallavi Jain; 77: Saaniya Sharma, Nikki Ponappa; 78: Nalini Singh Siwach; 80: Preetinder Kaur; 81: Rani Sonti; Nikita Jadeja; 84: Kasvi Malik; 85: Anisha Padukone.