Shweta in action during the 15th Realtech Punjab Open Ladies Amateur Golf Championship in Chandigarh on Tuesday.
— A Tribune photograph |
Chandigarh, October 23
Seventeen-year-old Shweta Galande of Delhi shot a three-over par 75 to take a slender lead on the opening day of the 15th Realtech Punjab Open Ladies Amateur Golf Championship, which was teed off by Golf Club president R.S Sandhu on the par-72 greens of the Chandigarh Golf Club, here today.
Tied for the second spot, one stroke behind were Amritsar teenager Akriti Singh and defending champion Sharmila Nicolette of Bangalore, who played identical four-over cards.
Shweta started on a good note firing birdies on the fourth and fifth. But then began a string of bogeys, including a double bogey on the eighth, for a three-over score in the front nine. She played a par return nine with a birdie on the 14th and a bogey on the 17th for a three over par 75.
Akriti, also 17, bogeyed four times for a four over par 76 card. Sharmila had a bad first nine as she bogeyed five times for a five-over. But she made amends in the return nine, sinking birdies on the 13th and 17th. She interspersed it with a bogey on the 15th for a four over par 76 score.
The Amritsar girl, who plays with a handicap of 10, was the leader in the Silver Salver nett score (66). She was also the leader in the nett division of the junior shield (u-18). But Shweta was the gross leader in both these divisions.
In the u-14 sub-junior shield, Mehar Atwal led with a gross score of 78. Three strokes behind her was Gurbani Singh.
Dalbir Sahi was the leader in both the gross and nett in the super senior challenge. In the senior challenge also, Dalbir Sahi was the nett leader. Binny Bath with an 11 over par 93 card led the senior challenge gross score.
