Gaurika Bishnoi opens 2022 WPGT season with flying 66 in Hyderabad

By Rahul Banerji

Gaurika Bishnoi opened the 2022 season of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour with a career-best 6-under 66 at the Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

It put the 23-year-old Gurgaon golfer, who last won on the Hero WPGT in 2019 – a season in which she picked two titles – on top of the leader board.

Gaurika was five shots clear of the second placed trio that included amateurs Sneha Singh and Jasmine Shekar along with pro Jyotsana Singh all on 1-under 71.

Ridhima Dilawari, who had four birdies in five holes, dropped three shots on the back nine as she carded a level par 72.

Gaurika, who came through a bout of Covid in January, opened with a string of five pars as she was in the first group to tee off.

She then birdied three of the last four holes of the front nine to make the turn on 3-under.

The lanky golfer then added four more birdies on the back nine against one bogey on the par-4 12th.

Personal best

Pleased with her round, she said, “It was a good round today. My career best on WGAI and a personal best.

“It definitely feels great to start the new year by breaking a personal record. I have been working hard and I’m glad to see that things are falling into place. Just need to stay committed to my process.

“In the off season I was focusing on some things that hadn’t worked well for me in the LET Q-school.

“Then in January I was also down with Covid. But I have worked hard on my game and am glad it is paying off.”

On the day’s round, Gaurika added, “The game, all in all, was in a good shape and a combination of good putts, good drives and good wedge play.”

Former national women’s champion Sneha Singh, who has tasted success on the Hero WPG Tour, had three birdies on the front nine and two bogeys on the back nine.

Fellow amateur Jasmine was 3-over through 11 holes. She then struck a purple patch with 4 birdies in six holes on her inbound nine.

Jyotsana had an early bogey but then holed three quick birdies. On the second nine she birdied to open, dropped two shots after that and parred the rest.

Jahanvi Bakshi and Anisha Agarwalla shot 73s for tied sixth while Hitaashee Bakshi, Shweta Mansingh and Nayanika Sanga were tied eighth on 74.

Round 2 tee times and scores

Tee 1

8 am: Riya Yadav 76 Mehar Atwal 76

8:10 am: Seher Atwal 76, Keerthana Rajeev (A) 75, Khushi Khanijau 75

8:20 am: Pranavi Urs 75, Vidhatri Urs (A) 75, Nayanika Sanga 74

8:30 am: Shweta Mansingh 74, Hitaashee Bakshi 74, Anisha Agarwalla 73

8:40 am: Jahanvi Bakshi 73, Ridhima Dilawari 72, Jasmine Shekar (A) 71;

8:50 am: Sneha Singh (A) 71, Jyotsana Singh 71, Gaurika Bishnoi 66

Tee 10

8 am: Lakhmehar Pardesi 76, Nishna Patel (A) 76, Durga Nittur 77

8:10 am: Shagun Narain 78, Neha Tripathi 78, Trimann Saluja 79

8:20 am: Oviya Reddi 79, Disha Kavery 80, Saaniya Sharma 80

8:30 am: Rhea Jha 81, Asmitha Sathish 82, Saanvi Somu (A) 82

8:40 am: Suchitra Ramesh 85, Agrima Manral 85, Smriti Mehra 86

Also read: Bakshi sisters lead charge in first leg of Hero WPGT 2022