Pranavi shoots career-best 65 but Gaurika maintains Hyderabad lead

By Rahul Banerji

Another day, and another sizzling round.

This time it was Pranavi Urs who scorched the Boulder Hills course with a career-best 7-under par 65 to take second place in the Hero WPGT season-opener in Hyderabad on Thursday.

Overnight leader Gaurika Bishnoi still led the field by three shots, following her opening day’s 66 with a more sedate 1-under 71.

Pranavi (75-65) also recorded her first bogey-free round as a professional having spent almost a year waiting for her wrist to mend.

On Thursday, the Mysore girl showed she could be a big factor this season with a 10-shot improvement from her first round and is now 4-under 140.

Gaurika was also going great guns before a double bogey on the Par-4 10^th set her back.

Former national women’s champion Sneha Singh, a Hyderabad-based amateur, shot a 70 on Thursday to follow her first round 71.

At 3-under 141 she is sole third, while Hitaashee Bakshi (74-70) is level par 144 and placed fourth.

Wrist woes

Pranavi, who started the 2021 season with a runner-up finish and a win in her first two events, then suffered a wrist fracture that virtually finished her season.

“It took a time to heal and there was a scare that I might aggravate it. Now it is almost 95 per cent fine and I am feeling confident,” said Pranavi.

“I started the season well in 2021 and had a win and a second but after that it was tough. I went to the LET Q-School and did not make it.”

Pranavi trains under Singapore-based coach Steven Giuliano and has been working on her game in the off season.

“He is in Singapore and I am in Mysore, so we work online and when things get better I want to spend time with him in Singapore.

“We have worked on my iron play and the short game. It all came together today.”

“It was great to shoot a personal best and my first ever bogey free round on the Hero WGAI Tour. I hope to build on this,” added Pranavi.

Europe on the radar

She plans to try and play a few events in Europe also this year. “I will try to get into some LET and LET Access Series events.”

Pranavi has always had great starts to her season. In 2020 she was runner-up in the season’s first event as an amateur and then won the second leg, while still being an amateur.

She turned pro and won the third leg and was second in the 5^th. Now she is hoping to put it all together for a solid 2022.

Gaurika, who had a fine 66 on the first day, had an early bogey and a double on 10 against four birdies.

Sneha, who is very familiar with this course, had three birdies against one bogey, while Hitaashee had five birdies against three dropped shots.

Nayanika Sanga (72), Shweta Mansingh (72) and Jahanvi Bakshi (73) are tied for sixth place, while Ridhima Dilawari (72-75) and amateur Jasmine Shekar (71-76) are tied eighth.

Durga Nittur (77-72) and Jyotsana Singh (71-78) rounded off the top 10.

Round 3 tee times and scores

Tee 1

8 am: Nishna Patel (A) 150; Jyotsana Singh 149; Durga Nittur 149;

8:10 am: Jasmine Shekar (A) 147; Ridhima Dilawari 147; Jahanvi Bakshi 146;

8:20 am: Shweta Mansingh 146; Nayanika Sanga 146; Hitaashee Bakshi 144;

8:30 am: Sneha Singh (A) 141; Pranavi Urs 140; Gaurika Bishnoi 137;

Tee 10

8 am: Seher Atwal 150; Anisha Agarwalla 150;

8:10 am: Khushi Khanijau 151; Lakhmehar Pardesi 152; Neha Tripathi 152;

8:20 am: Oviya Reddi 153; Asmitha Sathish 153; Vidhatri Urs (A) 154

8:30 am: Saaniya Sharma 155; Keerthana Rajeev (A) 155; Shagun Narain 156

Also read: Gaurika Bishnoi opens 2022 WPGT season with flying 66 in Hyderabad