Wolf runs ahead of the pack, Tvesa T-7th on Day 2

Gurugram, October 19 

Austrian Christine Wolf slotted birdies almost at will to card a second successive 4-under 68 and open up a massive four-shot lead over the rest of the field at the halfway stage of the Hero Women’s Indian Open here on Friday.

With seven birdies and three bogeys, Wolf shot a 68 to set herself up for her maiden LET win in a six-year-long pro career. Her best at Hero Women’s Indian Open is tied 11th in 2016.

The middle segment of her scorecard was liberally sprinkled with seven birdies in a nine-hole stretch from the fifth to the 13th holes. She reached 10-under at one stage, but bogeys on the 14th and 17th brought her back to 8-under, which was still enough to give her a four-shot lead over Thailand’s Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras (68-72).

The Thai, who plays on the LPGA, looked like catching up with the Austrian as she reached 6-under with two holes to go. She, however, ran into a disastrous triple bogey on the par-4 eighth, which was her 17th hole as she hit into the water twice. She birdied the 18th to get to 4-under and four behind Wolf.

“I’m really pleased with the way I played yesterday and also today. I hit a lot of greens and hit my iron shots close, so I gave myself a lot of chances and I really enjoyed it out there. I made a lot of birdies and tried to keep high numbers off the score card,” Wolf said after the second day’s play.

“I’ve always liked this course but never played well. It’s only halfway, so still a lot of golf to be played. I hit every fairway today. This course suits my eye and it’s just fantastic when you walk around it, it’s beautiful,” she added.

India’s Tvesa Malik (72-71) was tied seventh alongside Denmark’s Nicole Broch Larsen (74-69), French Celine Boutier (72-71) and Thai 

Kanphanitan Muangkhumsakul (72-71).

Tvesa was aided by a birdie-birdie start on the 10th. She had two more birdies after that on par-3 16th and par-4 second, but she dropped shots on 14th, third and fifth to close the day 1-under 144.

“I’m disappointed, I feel I could have finished much better, I had a lot of good chances for birdies especially in the last 4-5 holes but I could not convert. My game has been good so hopefully tomorrow and day after will be better. I started really good with two birdies on the 10th and 11th, had another birdie on the 16th but after that I just missed a lot of birdies,” Tvesa said.

The other Indians who made the are Gaurika Bishnoi (71-74), Ridhima Dilawari (69-77), Vani Kapoor (77-73), Astha Madan (75-75) and amateur Pranavi Urs (76-74), Sifat Sagoo (72-79) and Diksha Dagar (75-76).

It is the highest number of Indians making the cut in the history of the Hero Women’s Indian Open.

Overnight leader, Norway’s Tonje Daffinrud (66-75) was 1-under through 13 holes, before she triple bogeyed the 14th and dropped yet another shot on 15th to lose four shots in two holes. She parred the rest for a 75 and was 3-under 141 and third on the leaderboard.

Norwegian Marianne Skarpnord (68-74), French golfer Manon Molle (72-70) and England’s Eleanor Givens are 2-under and tied 4th. — PTI