Bengaluru, June 17 (IANS) Amateur Zara Anand, who joins college in the United States later this year, continued to show that she is one of the most promising talents in the country as she shot 4-under 64 in the first round of the eighth Leg of the Women’s Pro Golf Tour at the Bangalore Golf Club. Sharing the lead with Zara was Lavanya Jadon, who played the Singapore Ladies Masters last week.

With 4-under 64 each at the Par-68 course, the duo was one shot clear of Durga Nittur and Smriti Bhargav, who carded 3-under 65 each. Two other young stars, Anvvi Dahhiya and amateur Mahreen Bhatia, were tied fifth with 2-under 66 each in the event, carrying a purse of Rs. 17 lakh, which started with 57 players, but Jahanvi Bakshi withdrew due to medical reasons.

Zara began with three pars before faltering with bogeys on the next two holes. Then she made her recovery with back-to-back birdies on the sixth and the seventh and yet another one on the ninth to turn in 1-under. She maintained that momentum with a birdie on the tenth and three in a row from the 13th to the 15th. A late bogey on the 17th cost her sole leadership.

Lavanya also made a great comeback on the back nine. With one birdie on fourth and bogeys on the next two holes, she was 1-over for the front nine. She roared back with five birdies on the back nine, as she picked a hat-trick of gains from the 11th to the 13th and two more on the 16th and the 17th for a 64.

Nittur had three birdies on the front nine and three more on the back nine, but she also dropped three shots on the back nine. At one stage, Nittur was 5-under and may well have led the first round but for her back-to-back bogeys on the 16th and the 17th. Smriti had four birdies and one bogey in her 65.

Mahreen holed six birdies, but she also dropped shots on four holes, while Anvvi Dahhiya carded five birdies against three bogeys.

Three players, Mannat Brar, Karishma Govind, and amateur Ananyaa Sood, were tied seventh with rounds of 1-under 67, while four players, Jasmine Shekar, Kashika Misra, Nayanika Sanga, and Ayushi Dutta, scored even par 68 each to round off the Top-10.

Among the big names struggling on the first day were last week’s runner-up and 2025 Hero Order of Merit winner Vani Kapoor, who carded 4-over 72 with her only birdie coming on the 18th. She was T-34 alongside her good friend Amandeep Drall.

Ridhima Dilawari and Vidhtari Urs were T-14 with 1-over 69 each, as were Heena Kang and Neha Tripathi. Hero supported Tvesa Malik (70) was T-19.

–IANS

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