Amandeep Drall shoots 8-under 64 to take lead in Czech Ladies Open, good start for Hitaashee

Indian golfer Amandeep Drall made a stunning start to the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open, carding a brilliant 8-under 64 to grab the opening-round lead. Competing in just her second Ladies European Tour (LET) event of the season, Amandeep delivered her best-ever round on the LET which was made all the more significant by the fact that she hasn't made a cut on the Tour since October 2023.

A former runner-up at the LET event, Amandeep had failed to make any cut in 2024 and lost her card. Last week she played in Belgium on an invite and missed the cut, but in the first round in Czech Ladies in Beroun, she began on the tenth tee and had nine birdies against one bogey. Her closest rivals were English women, Lianna Bailey and Florentyna Parker, who both shot 7-under 65 each.

Among the other Indians, rookie Hitaashee Bakshi got off to a fine start with 4-under 68 and was tied 12th, while Avani Prashanth, who at one stage was 3-under through six holes, finished 1-under 71 and was T-43. Tvesa Malik (72) was T-67, Sneha Singh (73) was T-96 and Vani Kapoor (74) was T-110. Diksha Dagar, a late starter, was 2-over through seven and way back, while Neha Tripathi, who got into the field following a late withdrawal, was even par through five holes.

Amandeep started on the tenth and parred her first three holes. She followed that up with four birdies in a row and after a par on the 17th, she got her fifth birdie to turn in 5-under. A birdie on the first made it six birdies in seven holes. She dropped her only shot on Par-3 fourth but closed with three birdies four holes between the sixth and the ninth.

Hitaashee also started on the tenth and dropped a shot on the 12th, which was her third hole. But she did not drop any more shots and birdied the 15th and the 18th to turn in 1-under. Birdies on the third, fifth and the seventh saw her finish in 4-under. Avani had birdies on the third, fifth and the seventh to be 3-under, but on the back nine she bogeyed the 11th, 14th and the 16th and had just one birdie on the 12th for a 71. Another English golfer, Esme Hamilton and Ivory Coast’s Alexandra Swayne carded 6-under 66 each to be tied fourth. PTI