By Rahul Banerji
An under-prepared Noida Golf Course took toll on the field for the Hero WPGT event on Wednesday with Lakhmehar Pardesi holding the lead on 3-over par 75.
The 21-year-old from Chandigarh had no birdies against three dropped shots but it was enough to hand her the lead.
Lakhmehar, who is yet to win on the Tour, played steady golf with two bogeys on the front nine, and one on her way back home.
With the monsoon still active, the heavily-overgrown roughs were a no-go area while the greens were mostly unreceptive, with approach shots not sticking, but putts rolling slow.
Trailing Lakhmehar by two shots was Trimann Saluja, 19, who turned pro last year. She had three birdies, four bogeys and two double bogeys in her roller-coaster 5-over 77.
Hard day
Fancied names like Jahanvi Bakshi, amateurs Avani Prashanth and Sneha Singh were all left struggling.
Jahanvi and Avani were joined by Siddhi Kapoor and Ananya Datar on 6-over 78s for tied third place, while Hitaashee Bakshi and Anousha Tripathi carded 79s each.
Six players were tied for 10th on 8-over 80, while last week’s winner, Sneha Singh shot an 9-over 81.
The Hyderabad girl, a three-time winner on the tour, struggled with her lines as well, carding double bogeys on eight, nine and 18 against a lone birdie.
Birdies were hard to come by on the day and many players did not have a single one.
Score and round 2 tee times
8:30 am: Khushi 90; Gauri Karhade 90; Disha Kavery 89
8:40 am: Geetika Ahuja 88; Vidhatri Urs (A) 88; Ishvari Prasanna 87
8:50 am: Anisha Agarwalla 86; Mehar Atwal 86; Marshneil Prasad 83
9 am: Suchitra Ramesh 83; Afshan Fatima 82; Shagun Narain 82
9:15 am: Rhea Jha 82; Oviya Reddi 82; Nishna Patel (A) 81
9:25 am: Rhea P. Saravanan 81; Khushi Khanijau 81; Sneha Singh (A) 81
9:35 am: Seher Atwal 80; Shweta Mansingh 80; Rishika Muralidhar (A) 80
9:45 am: Jyotsana Singh 80; Saaniya Sharma 80; Neha Tripathi 80
10 am: Anousha Tripathi 79; Hitaashee Bakshi 79; Siddhi Kapoor 78
10:10 am: Avani Prashanth (A) 78; Ananya Datar 78; Jahanvi Bakshi 78
10:20 am: Smriti Bhargav (A) 78; Trimann Saluja 77; Lakhmehar Pardesi 75
Also read: Sneha, Avani out to keep the heat up on the pros at Noida
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