WPGT: Smriti Mehra leads on Day 1, Sharmila Nicollet returns post injury

Bengaluru: Veteran Delhi golfer Smriti Mehra with a score of six under 64, played a spectacular round of golf today to lead the opening round of the 9th leg of Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour 2013. The INR 6,00,000 event is being played at the par-70, Clover Greens golf course situated on the outskirts of the city. Rookie Shweta Galande is placed second, carding a total of four under 66 at the end of the first round. [caption id=“attachment_1064469” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sharmila Nicollet is back in action this week. AFP[/caption] Smriti started her round in great style carding an eagle on her very first hole. Her early lead was however dented slightly with a bogey on the fifth hole. Smriti however stabilised the rest of her round with birdies on the 7th, 10th, 12th, 14th and 18th holes, carding a total of six under 64 at the end of the first round. Rookie Pune golfer Shweta Galande who has been very impressive in her first two outings on the tour, finished her first round with birdies on the 4th, 11th, 12th, 17th and 18th holes. Shweta is trailing Smriti by two shots and is currently placed second after 18 holes. Delhi’s Shraddhanjali Singh along with local amateur Aditi Ashok are tied for the third spot with identical scores of two under 68 after the first round. Shraddhanjali had a patchy start to her round with two bogeys on the 4th and 9th holes in her front nine. She however managed to retrieve the situation by carding four birdies on the 7th, 10th, 12th and 18th holes and a bogey free back nine. Local amateur Aditi Ashok had an average round with bogeys on the 6th, 14th, and 16th holes and birdies on the 7th, 8th, 10th, 15th and 17th holes. The event also saw the return of Hero MotoCorp sponsored local golfer Sharmila Nicollet, who was out of action nursing an ankle injury. Sharmila put forward a good show with a mixed round of birdies and bogeys which included a double bogey on the 1st hole and two eagles on the 7th and 10th holes. Her bogeys came on the 3rd, 8th, 13th and 15th holes. She managed only two birdies on the 2nd and 17th holes. She finished her first round with an even par score and is placed fifth. The Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour 2013 comprises a total of fourteen legs spanning across key locations in India. PTI