WPGT: Hitaashee adds 66 to 64, takes 10-shot lead in sixth leg

Gurugram: Hitaashee Bakshi maintained the tempo as she added another superb round of 6-under 66 to her first round 64 to run away with a 10-shot lead at the halfway mark of the sixth leg of the Women’s Pro Golf Tour at the DLF Golf & Country Club.

Hitaashee led some sensational scoring for the lead group as her playing partners Van Kapoor (68) and Amandeep Drall (69) also had solid second rounds.

Hitaashee, who equalled the DLF Golf and Country Club course record of 64 on the first day, shot 66 with eight birdies against two bogeys on the second day.

As she raced to 3-under 141 for two rounds, Amandeep Drall, the winner last week, blazed the front side of the course with seven birdies on way to a round of 69 that was damaged by three bogeys and a double bogey over the last five holes.

Playing alongside Hitaashee and Amandeep Drall in the lead group was Vani Kapoor, who shot 4-under with five birdies against one bogey. While Hitaashee was 14-under 130, Vani was at 4-under 140 and Amandeep was 3-under 141.

Amateur Zara Anand (71) and Gaurika Bishnoi (72) were tied fourth at 1-over 145. Yet another amateur Vidhatri Urs (70) was lying sixth, while Astha Madan (72) and Riya Yadav (68) occupied seventh and eighth places.

Hitaashee, who shot 8-under 28 on the front nine on the first day, was 4-under for the back nine on the second. She had three birdies and a bogey on the front nine, while she picked up five more birdies on the back nine, four of which came in a row from 14th to the 17th.

Coming back from an injury, Hitaashee said, “I am finding my game of late, and it feels good. This season has been going along well so far.”

Amandeep opened birdie-birdie and then added two more on fourth and fifth and then three in a row from seventh to ninth. She missed birdies on just two holes on the third and the sixth, which were pars. On the back nine, she birdied 12th to get to 8-under, but bogeys on 14th and 15th and then a bogey on 17th followed by a double on the 18th spoilt the card and she finished with a 69.

Khushi Khanijau (70) and Jasmine Shekar (74) were tied at ninth to round off the top-10.

Interestingly four of the six amateurs of which three, Zara, Vidhatri and Heena Kang, who will play at the Queen Sirikit Cup in New Zealand, made the cut.

The cut came at 161 and 29 players will play the final two rounds.