Taoyuan (Chinese Taipei), Oct 29 (IANS) Pranavi Urs carded a two-under-par 70 to be tied 33rd after the opening round of the Wistron Ladies Open at Sunrise Golf and Country Club on Thursday. The only Indian in the field, Pranavi made three birdies and one bogey following her tied-fourth finish at last week’s Hero Women’s Indian Open in Gurugram.
Pranavi, who is supported by Hero, has been in fine form and is looking at a solid finish to the season.
South Africa’s Cassandra Alexander fired an eight-under-par 64 to take a two-shot lead over Chinese Taipei’s Cheng-Hsuan Shih, who carded a bogey-free 66.
Alexander, the Ladies European Tour (LET) Order of Merit leader, made six birdies and an eagle without dropping a shot. She turned in three-under 33 before adding birdies on the 11th, 13th and 14th holes and finishing with an eagle on the 18th.
“My back was a little tight on the range, so I hit some dodgy shots there,” Alexander said. “I got onto the course and felt a lot better.”
Shih made six birdies in her bogey-free round to take sole second place.
Six players shared third place at five-under 67: Germany’s Helen Briem, Austria’s Emma Spitz, Hong Kong’s Ginnie Ding, Chinese Taipei’s Pei-Ying Tsai, and England’s Alice Hewson and Hannah Screen.
Briem, a two-time LET winner, finished with an eagle on the par-five 13th and a birdie on the last. Spitz and Hewson were bogey-free, while Screen made four consecutive birdies from the 13th through the 16th.
Tsai, a winner at Sunrise Golf and Country Club on the Taiwan LPGA Tour earlier this year, also returned a bogey-free 67. Ding made six birdies and one bogey.
Ten players shared 10th place, including defending champion and five-time Major winner Yani Tseng, along with LET winners Kelsey Bennett, Mimi Rhodes, Leonie Harm and Celine Herbin-Marshall.
Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum carded a one-under 71 to be tied 46th, one stroke behind Pranavi.
The second round begins at 6.20 am local time on Friday, with the cut falling at the top 60 professionals and ties.
–IANS
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