Hamburg, May 15 (IANS) The Indian challenge got off to a difficult start at the Amundi German Masters in Hamburg, with young golfer Pranavi Urs emerging as the best-performing Indian after the opening round.

Competing at the demanding North Course of the Green Eagle Golf Courses in Germany, Pranavi carded a 3-over 76 on a day when scoring proved tough for much of the field. Her round included two birdies, three bogeys and a costly double bogey. Despite the setback, she remained the top Indian in the standings and will hope to improve over the next two rounds to stay in contention for the weekend.

Pranavi, who impressed at the Hero Women’s Indian Open last year with a top-10 finish, has been regarded as one of India’s promising golfers. However things were tough on the first day.

Fellow Indian Avani Prashanth also endured a challenging opening day. Avani returned with a score of 5-over 78, placing her outside the top 100 after the first round. Her card featured one birdie, two bogeys and two double bogeys, reflecting the inconsistency that troubled several players on the difficult course setup. Like Pranavi, Avani’s most notable recent performance came at the Hero Women’s Indian Open, where she displayed her potential against an international field.

Experienced Indian golfer Vani Kapoor had an even tougher outing, finishing with a score of 10-over 83. Her round included five bogeys, one double bogey and a triple bogey, leaving her near the bottom of the leaderboard. With the projected cut expected around 1-under-par, all three Indians now face an uphill task to avoid an early exit from the tournament.

While the Indian contingent struggled, the spotlight firmly belonged to the home players from Germany. Local favourite Leonie Harm delivered a flawless bogey-free round of 8-under 65 to set a new course record and take the lead after round one. Harm looked in complete control throughout the day, producing eight birdies in a stunning performance before home fans.

Close behind was fellow German star Esther Henseleit, who fired an impressive 7-under 66 to sit in second place. Denmark’s Sofie Kibsgaard and Germany’s Laura Fünfstück shared third place at 5-under-par, underlining the dominance of European players in the opening round.

For Indian golf followers, the focus will now shift to whether Pranavi, Avani and Vani can bounce back strongly in the second round and keep India’s hopes alive in Hamburg.

–IANS

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