Golf: Rhea Purvi takes sole lead in 7th leg of WPG Tour

Mysuru, May 30 (IANS) Rhea Purvi Saravanan, who won her maiden Women’s Pro Golf Tour (WPGT) title this season, fired the first under-par round to take the sole lead after the second day of the seventh Leg of the WPGT at the Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Golf Club. Rhea shot 2-under 68 after a first-round 72 to be even par 140 for two days.

Rhea, 22, who hails from Kolar, won the opening leg. She was one shot behind the three co-leaders after the first day in Mysuru. On a day when the organisers used a shotgun start to ensure a timely finish ahead of the expected rains, Rhea started on the third with Durga Nittur and Jasmine Shekar.

Rhea picked birdies on the fifth and the seventh and one more on the 15th. Her only dropped shot came on the par-3 eighth. Amandeep Drall, with three birdies against four bogeys, added a second straight 1-over 71 and was sole second at 2-over 142 after an up-and-down day.

Amandeep had birdies on the first and the third, but dropped shots on the fourth and the sixth brought her back to par. Birdies on the ninth and the tenth again pulled her up, but bogeys on the 12th, 14th, and 16th meant she fell to one-over for the second successive day.

Vani Kapoor, who is looking for a fourth straight win this season, was one shot behind Amandeep. Vani, like Amandeep and Vidhatri Urs, had carded 71 on the first day, but she fell back with a 72 for a total of 143, three behind the leader, Rhea. Vani started on the first hole with Amandeep and Vidhatri. Vani was 3-over after the first five holes but did well to pick one birdie and parred the rest for a 72.

With the top three players separated by just three shots, the battle for top honours in the Rs. 14 lakh event is going to be intense.

Ridhima Dilawari, starting on the fifth, made the big jump on the second day as she put together an even-par 70 after a first-round 76. She is tied for fourth with Jasmine Shekar (73-73). Ridhima had just one birdie on the Par-3 15th and a bogey on the Par-5 18th in her round.

Jasmine, who started on the third hole, opened with two bogeys and later had a bogey-birdie on the eighth and the ninth. She finished with a bogey on the first hole, which was her 17th.

The cut fell at 156, and 19 players made the cut. The notable players to miss out included Seher Atwal, Rhea Jha, and Disha Kavery.

--IANS

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