Avani Prashanth and Sneha Singh made promising starts on the opening day of the Hills Open, both carding one-over 72 to be tied-21st after a testing round at the Hills Golf & Sports Club.
Avani’s late fightback
Avani, starting from the first tee, had a rough beginning with three bogeys against one birdie in her first six holes. She then settled into rhythm, producing a string of pars to steady her round. A bogey on the 15th left her three-over, but the 18-year-old showed composure to close with back-to-back birdies on the final two holes for a respectable 72 in windy conditions.
Sneha’s balanced round
Sneha Singh matched Avani with a 72, mixing four birdies with five bogeys. Her steady play ensured she remained inside the top-25, sharing the best Indian position after the first round. Among the other Indians, Hitaashee Bakshi (74) was tied-48th, while Pranavi Urs (76) was tied-71st. Amandeep Drall (77) slipped to tied-86th, Tvesa Malik (79) was tied-107th, and Vani Kapoor (82) struggled at tied-123rd.
Kobori sets the pace
New Zealand’s Momoka Kobori took the early lead with a four-under 67. She carded a solid front nine with a birdie on the sixth before catching fire on the back nine with three straight birdies on holes 11, 12, and 13. Despite a bogey on the 14th, she recovered quickly with another birdie at the 15th to finish one clear of the chasing pack.
Seven players, including Sweden’s Meja Ortengren and Linda Wessberg, England’s Alice Hewson, and Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes, were tied for second with 68 (-3).
Strong field at Hills Open
The tournament features 132 players competing in a 54-hole stroke play format, with a total purse of €300,000 at the 6,064-yard Hills Golf & Sports Club.
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