Jahanvi Bakshi, the most successful player on the domestic circuit in 2021, played a superb back nine with four birdies and no bogeys to keep a two-shot lead after two rounds in the second leg of the Women's Pro Golf Tour here at the East Point Golf Club.
Chasing Jahanvi was amateur Sneha Singh (70-70), two shots behind and lying third at 141 were Neha Tripathi (73-68) and Rhea Purvi Saravanan (72-69). Ridhima Dilawari, second after the first round, slipped to fifth with a card of 73, while Gaurika Bishnoi rose to fifth with 68, the day's other best card along with Neha Tripathi.
Jahanvi, who shot 68 and led the field by one at the end of the first round, lost the early advantage with bogeys on third and ninth, as she turned in two-over. As Sneha Singh turned in one-under to take the lead, Ridhima who was one-over after the front nine, caught up with Jahanvi.
On the back nine, Jahanvi was in full flow with birdies on 11th, 12th, 14th and 17th and carded 70 to take the lead. Winner of four titles, Jahanvi could well open her account for 2022 on Friday.
Sneha after back-to-back birdies on second and third dropped a shot on eighth but got back a shot on 15th to score a second straight 70.
Neha Tripathi, who last bagged a title in the first leg of the 2019 season in Pune, birdied second and seventh and in between dropped a shot on sixth. She picked three birdies on the back nine on 10th, 13th and 15th to finish the day at 68 and jumped to third, after being tied-eighth on the first day.
With Top-18 and ties making the cut for the final round, 21 players made the money round. The cut fell at 11-over. Two established names missing out were Saaniya Sharma and Suchitra Ramesh.
( With inputs from ANI )
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