Avani returns to WPGT circuit with five-shot lead at Chandigarh

By Rahul Banerji

Avani Prashanth climbed early into the driver’s seat with a superb four-under-par 68 on the first day of the Chandigarh leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour on Wednesday.

Avani, already a two-time winner in 2021 on the pro circuit, had just blemishes on the day at the Chandigarh Golf Club.

After a bogey-free four-under front nine, Avani dropped two shots against two birdies on the back nine for the day’s only under-par round.

The Bangalore teenager, who has had a busy international season birdied the second hole and then three in a row to the sixth,

She picked up further shots on 12 and 13 while the bogeys came on 10 and 15.

Avani, 16, is now five shots clear of eight players tied on one-over 73. The pack includes last week’s winner Ridhima Dilawari and amateurs Heena Kang and Jia Kataria.

The others are Siddhi Kapoor, Rhea Purvi Saravanan, Anisha Agarwalla, and Lakhmehar Pardesi.

Rocky start

Gaurika Bishnoi, who made a double bogey-bogey start finished on 74 and was tied ninth alongside Hitaashee Bakshi.

Sneha Singh (77) was tied 13^th, Neha Tripathi and Seher Atwal were tied 19^th with 78 and Afshan Fatima, runner-up last week, was 23^rd with a round of 79.

In 2021, Avani won the third and the 11^th legs at BPGC, Mumbai and Panchkula Golf Club on the Hero WPG Tour.

She was also runner-up at the seventh leg in DLF, Gurugram and the 10^th leg at the Chandigarh GC.

Scores and round 2 tee times

8:30 am: Shagun Narain 84; Anaggha Venkatesh 83; Khushi 82

8:40 am: Ayesha Kapur 82; Karishma Govind 82; Geetika Ahuja 82

8:50 am: Ishvari Prasanna 81; Agrima Manral 81; Sinjini Mukherjee (A) 81

9 am: Ragini Navet (A) 80; Afshan Fatima 79; Asmitha Sathish 78

9:15 am: Seher Atwal 78; Ananya Datar 78; Neha Tripathi 78

9:25 am: Khushi Khanijau 77; Mehar Atwal 77; Rhea Jha 77

9:35 am: Sneha Singh 77; Shweta Mansingh 77; Saaniya Sharma 77

9:45 am: Snigdha Goswami (A) 76; Jyotsana Singh 76; Hitaashee Bakshi 74

10 am: Gaurika Bishnoi 74; Jia Kataria (A) 73; Heena Kang (A) 73

10:10 am: Ridhima Dilawari 73; Lakhmehar Pardesi 73; Anisha Agarwalla 73

10:20 am: Rhea Purvi Saravanan 73; Siddhi Kapoor 73; Avani Prashanth (A) 68

Also read: Ridhima faces strong challenge in Chandigarh leg of Hero WPGT