Hitaashee opens up 10-shot lead at DLF leg of Hero WPGT

By Rahul Banerji

Hitaashee Bakshi added a superb 6-under 66 to her opening 64 for a 10-shot lead at the halfway mark of the sixth leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour at the DLF Golf & Country Club.

The DLF-based golfer led some sensational scoring for the lead group as playing partners Vani Kapoor (68) and Amandeep Drall (69) also had solid second rounds on Wednesday.

Hitaashee, who equalled the course record of 64 on the first day, had eight birdies against two bogeys on the day, the WGAO said.

Fellow DLF golfer Vani Kapoor, who went 4-under with five birdies against one bogey was second on the leaderboard on 4 under 140 against Hitaashee’s 14-under 130.

Last week’s winner Amandeep Drall blitzed the front nine with seven birdies but that tempo was broken by three bogeys and a double bogey over the last five holes. The Panchkula player is now 3-under 141 for two rounds.

Amateur Zara Anand (71) and Gaurika Bishnoi (72) were tied fourth on 1-over 145. Fellow amateur Vidhatri Urs (70) was sixth, while Astha Madan (72) and Riya Yadav (68) occupied seventh and eighth places.

High pace

Hitaashee had three birdies and a bogey on the front nine, while she picked up five more birdies on the back nine, four of which came in a row from holes 14 to 17 as she maintained her early tempo.

Coming off an injury, Hitaashee said, “I am finding my game of late, and it feels good. This season has been going along well so far.”

Amandeep opened birdie-birdie and added two more on holes four and five and then three in a row from seventh to ninth.

She missed birdies on just two holes on the front nine, which were pars. On the back nine, she birdied early to get to 8-under, but three bogeys and a double to close dented her card.

Khushi Khanijau (70) and Jasmine Shekar (74) were tied ninth to round off the top 10.

Four of the six amateurs in the field, including Zara, Vidhatri and Heena Kang who will play the Queen Sirikit Cup in New Zealand, made the cut at 161 with 29 going through to the final two rounds.

Scores and round 3 tee times

7:30 am: Sachika Singh 161, Vrinda Yadav 160

7:40 am: Trimann Saluja 160, Sneha Singh 159, Shweta Mansingh 157

7:50 am: Agrima Manral 157, Rhea Jha 157, Jahaanvie Walia 156

8 am: Seher Atwal 156, Rhea Purvi S. 156, Ananya Garg 155

8:15 am: Shagun Narain 155, Heena Kang (A) 154, Lavanya Gupta (A) 154

8:25 am: Karishma Govind 153, Snigdha Goswami 152, Janneya Dasanniee (A) 152

8:35 am: Neha Tripathi 152, Ananya Datar 151, Jasmine Shekar 150

8:50 am: Khushi Khanijau 150, Riya Yadav 148, Astha Madan 147

9 am: Vidhatri Urs (A) 146, Gaurika Bishnoi 145, Zara Anand (A) 145

9:10 am: Amandeep Drall 141, Vani Kapoor 140, Hitaashee Bakshi 130

Also read: Hitaashee blitzes DLF course for day one Hero WPGT lead