Malaga (Spain), Nov 28 (NationPress) It was a challenging opening day for India at the Andalucía Costa del Sol Open de España, with Aditi Ashok, a multiple-time champion on the Ladies European Tour (LET), scoring 3-under 69 to achieve a Tied-10th position after the initial round. She trails Denmark’s Smilla Tarning Soenderby and Thailand’s Trichat Cheenglab by three shots, both of whom lead with a score of six-under-par.

Indian rookie Avani Prashanth followed closely with a score of 71, placing her at T-27th. Hitaashee Bakshi, who qualified for this season-ending event thanks to her impressive third-place finish at the Hero Women’s Indian Open last month, recorded a score of 73, finishing T-45.

Pranavi Urs, who recently celebrated a victory in a mixed-gender competition on the new IGPL Tour, scored 2-over 74, sharing T-49 with Diksha Dagar, who also shot a 74.

Aditi started her round on the first hole and bogeyed the third but quickly recovered with a birdie on the fourth, finishing her front nine at even-par. She began the back nine with an eagle on the Par-5 10th but lost a shot on the Par-5 12th. Two birdies on the 16th and 17th holes secured her round of 69.

Avani, starting from the tenth, birdied her opening hole but lost strokes on the 11th and the 14th. She rebounded on the second nine with birdies on the second, fourth, and sixth holes, but a bogey on her final hole left her with a total of 71.

Pranavi, who played alongside Avani, was 2-under through 11 holes before facing bogeys on the 12th and 18th and a double bogey on the 17th, ending her round with a score of 74. Hitaashee managed four birdies against five bogeys, while Diksha recorded two birdies against four bogeys in her 74.

The co-leaders Soenderby and Cheenglab both delivered flawless performances at Real Guadalhorce Club de Golf. Soenderby, starting on the 10th tee, achieved back-to-back birdies on her first two holes and added another on the 15th, maintaining momentum with birdies on the fourth, seventh, and ninth for a total of 66 (-6).

Cheenglab, the 2023 LET Order of Merit winner, also had an impeccable first day in sunny Spain, starting on the 10th tee and sinking six birdies on the third, fourth, 11th, 15th, 16th, and 18th holes, tying her at the top of the leaderboard.

France’s Celine Herbin and Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes are tied for third place, each finishing the day with rounds of 67 (-5). Herbin, a two-time LET winner, made an eagle on the fourth alongside birdies on 11, 12, and 16, while Sobron Galmes had a bogey-free round with birdies on the third, fourth, seventh, ninth, and 12th holes, also placing T3.