Golf: Indian girls face tough task after first round in Irish Open

Kildare (Ireland), July 4 (IANS) Things were looking bleak for the Indian women golfers, as they faced an early exit at the KPMG Irish Open at Carton House on the Ladies European Tour. Led by Tvesa Malik, who had the best card among the four Indians on the first day with an opening score of 1-over 74, none were inside the projected cut line of even par.

Tvesa was tied 72nd out of a field of 131 players, while Diksha Dagar and Avani Prashanth, with rounds of 75 each, were T-91, and Hitaashee Bakshi with 77 was T-133.

This month is stacked full of high-profile Ladies European Tour events, and all the Indians will need low scores on the second day if they hope to make the cut.

The leaders at the end of the first round were Chiara Tamburlini of Switzerland and Blanca Fernandez of Spain. The Swiss and Spanish stars shot rounds of 6-under 67 to share the lead heading into day two.

Both players had one bogey and seven birdies in their round. Tamburlini is currently placed 11th on the Order of Merit and will have a chance to move back into the top 10 if she continues her strong performances.

Tvesa started her round with a strong front nine, with two birdies in the first four holes. Her round came undone with the bogey on the 11th and a double bogey on the 16th.

Starting on the 10th, Diksha made one birdie in the round on the first hole, her tenth hole, but three other bogeys on the fifth, sixth, and 11th holes of the course hurt her cause.

Avani made four birdies and four bogeys with one double bogey.

Hitaashee Bakshi began her round on the back nine and shot three bogeys and two double bogeys by the time she had made it to the front nine. Birdies on the fourth, sixth, and eighth holes helped her reduce the impact of her troubled back nine, but still her round of 4-over 77 saw her way behind in tied 122nd.

The Order of Merit leader Mimi Rhodes ended the first day in tied third along with Hannah Screen, Lisa Pettersen, Madelene Sagstrom, Alexandra Swayne, and Lottie Woad, an amateur taking part in her first Ladies European Tour event.

--IANS

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