Gold Coast (Australia), March 20 (IANS) A strong second-round performance saw Hitaashee Bakshi emerge as the leading Indian contender, moving into the top 10, while her compatriots delivered mixed results in the Australian WPGA Championships, being held at the Par-71 Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club in Gold Coast, Australia, on Friday.

Bakshi produced a solid 3-under 68 to add to her opening 69, taking her to a total of 5-under 137 and a share of eighth place. Diksha Dagar, who had an impressive first round, slipped slightly but remained within the top 20 at tied-16th after returning a 1-over 72.

Pranavi Urs successfully made the cut at 2-over par (72-72) and sits at tied-60th, while Vani Kapoor narrowly missed out, finishing one shot outside the cut line with rounds of 73 and 72.

At the top of the leaderboard, Australia’s Hannah Green continued her dominant run, carding a 4-under 67 to reach 10-under overall and take a two-shot lead. She recorded six birdies and an eagle, offset by two bogeys and a double bogey. England’s Meghan Maclaren follows in second place at 8-under after rounds of 66 and 68.

Elsewhere, first-round leader Kelsey Macdonald experienced a dramatic fall, carding a 77 that included three consecutive double bogeys, dropping her to tied-34th after setting a course record just a day earlier.

Bakshi’s round began on the back nine, where she opened with a bogey on the ninth but quickly recovered with a birdie on the 10th. Despite another dropped shot on the 14th, she responded with a birdie on the 16th. Her round gathered momentum on the front nine, where she fired three consecutive birdies on the third, fourth, and fifth holes to close with a 68. Notably, she was highly accurate off the tee, hitting every fairway and missing only a handful of greens in regulation.

Dagar, meanwhile, started with a bogey on the first but managed to steady her round with a birdie on the fourth. Additional bogeys on the 11th and 16th, along with a birdie on the 15th, resulted in a 72, leaving her at 3-under overall. Although she hit every fairway, missed greens proved costly, leading to all three of her dropped shots.

Pranavi Urs, who also began from the back nine, secured her place for the weekend with a second consecutive 72. Late birdies on the fourth and sixth holes helped her stay right on the cut line of 2-over, despite three bogeys during the round.

Kapoor showed improvement in her second round but fell just short of progressing, finishing at 3-over overall.

–IANS

bsk/