Anvitha Narender scores a win in her second professional start

Anvitha Narender receives her winner’s cheque and trophy from Bangalore Golf Club secretary Vittal Belandor and club captain D.N. Vasanth Kumar on Friday. Image courtesy WGAI.

By Rahul Banerji

Anvitha Narender, who led or co-led from the start, completed a comprehensive seven-shot win in the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour event at Bangalore Golf Club on Friday.

In only her second professional start, the New Jersey-born golfer, who was T8 on debut a week ago in Mysore had cards of 69, 65 and 68 to total 8 under par 202, the WGAI said.

The winner was well ahead of amateur Lavanya Jadon, who had a rough start on Friday, but held on for a round of 73 to finish second on 1 under 209.

Vidhatri Urs, who like Anvitha was in only her second pro event, shot the day’s equal best of 68 despite a double bogey-bogey finish. Vidhatri, who was T3 last week, finished third again on level par 210 with cards of 72-70-68.

Anvitha started the day with a two-shot lead and found herself five ahead after the first three holes despite making only three pars.

Her playing partner Lavanya, who was two behind at the start, double-bogeyed the second and bogeyed the third holes while the group’s third member, Seher Atwal parred the first six holes.

Early swing

Anvitha dropped a shot on the Par-5 fourth, where Lavanya birdied for a two-shot swing. However, Anvitha fought back with birdies on holes 6 and 8 and knocked in two more on 12and 13.

With the going getting tougher in the closing stages, Anvitha could afford bogeys on 14 and 17 though she had a birdie in between while Lavanya had three bogeys against two birdies on the back nine.

After a bogey start Vidhatri made a charge with five birdies in the next eight holes, including three in a row from eighth to the tenth.

Five pars and a birdie on 16 put her second behind Anvitha, but the three dropped shots on the last two holes dropped her to third place as Lavanya had three pars at the end.

Seher had a rough back nine with four bogeys on a tough scoring day.

Bangalore amateur Saanvi Somu shot a 1 over 71 for tied fourth alongside Seher on 2 over 212.

Rough start

The 2023 Hero Order of Merit winner, Sneha Singh, who shared the first day lead opened on Friday with four bogeys in her first seven holes. She had one birdie and another bogey in a round of 74 and was sixth on 6 over 216.

Gaurika Bishnoi, winner last week, also dropped shots on the difficult closing holes and finished bogey-bogey for tied seventh with Snigdha Goswami (74), who had four bogeys and no birdies.

Amandeep Drall (69), Jahaanvie Walia (70), Agrima Manral (71) and Rhea Jha (74), one of the co-leaders after Day 1, ended in a tie for ninth place.

Hitaashee Bakshi, who finished 14^th, remains on top of the Hero WPGT’s Order of Merit.

Also read: Rookie Anvitha holds two-shot lead at BGC leg of Hero WPGT