Aditi hits front on day one

B'lore girl takes 1-stroke lead; Sharmila struggles

In an almost flawless performance at the testing Karnataka Golf Association course, the 13-year-old amateur from Bangalore Golf Club opened her account with a sizzling two-under 70 to leave the rest of the field behind.

Kolkata’s Neha Tripathi and Delhi’s Saaniya Sharma were placed second at 71 while Nalini Singh was a stroke further behind at 72.  Local lass and Order of Merit leader Sharmila struggled with her game, carding a disappointing two-over 74.

“Everything just went right for me,” said an ecstatic Aditi, who is playing in a professional tournament for the first time. “I didn’t make any mistakes on the course today and I am very happy with my game. The putting and driving clicked and I was just able to land the ball where I wanted to.”

Aditi, who won the Junior (Category B) Order of Merit last year and finished second in Category A, was a picture of confidence despite playing with a new set of clubs. The youngest Billo Sethi Trophy winner started in stable fashion, parring the opening eight holes.

She took the turn with a neat birdie on the par-5 9th. A wonderful approach shot landed the ball one feet from the cup which she neatly tapped it in. 

She then sunk a six-footer birdie on the 13th before parring the remaining holes to wrap up a superb day in the office.  Mexican Caroline Acebo (95), Mita Gowande (92) and amateur Nikita Arjun (98) missed the cut with the new rules shutting the door on any pro carding 16-over in a single round.

Leading scores (after 18 holes, ‘A’ denotes amateur): 70: Aditi Ashok (A); 71: Neha Tripathi, Saaniya Sharma; 72: Nalini Singh Siwach; 74: Sharmila Nicollet; 75: Smriti Mehra, Meghna Bal; 76: Nikki Ponappa.