Hitaashee Bakshi Secures Top-10 Spot at Australian WPGA Championships
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Gold Coast (Australia), March 20 (NationPress) – An impressive second-round showing propelled Hitaashee Bakshi to become the top Indian player, breaking into the top 10 at the Australian WPGA Championships taking place at the Par-71 Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club in Gold Coast, Australia, on Friday.
Bakshi delivered a remarkable 3-under 68, adding to her initial score of 69, totaling 5-under 137 and sharing eighth position. Diksha Dagar, after a strong first round, fell slightly but held her ground in the top 20, finishing tied for 16th with a score of 1-over 72.
Pranavi Urs made the cut at 2-over par (72-72), placing her at tied-60th, while Vani Kapoor narrowly missed advancing, ending one shot outside the cut line with scores of 73 and 72.
Leading the tournament, Australia’s Hannah Green continued to excel, shooting a 4-under 67, totaling 10-under and taking a two-shot lead. She notched six birdies and an eagle but faced two bogeys and one double bogey. Meghan Maclaren from England is in second place at 8-under with rounds of 66 and 68.
In a surprising turn, first-round leader Kelsey Macdonald stumbled, posting a 77 that included three consecutive double bogeys, dropping her to tied-34th after setting a course record just the previous day.
Bakshi’s round commenced on the back nine, where she bogeyed the ninth but quickly responded with a birdie on the 10th hole. After another dropped shot on the 14th, she countered with a birdie on the 16th. Her momentum surged on the front nine with three consecutive birdies on holes three, four, and five, culminating her round with a 68. Notably, she was exceptionally precise off the tee, hitting every fairway and only missing a few greens in regulation.
Dagar began her round with a bogey on the first hole but regained her composure with a birdie on the fourth. Despite additional bogeys on the 11th and 16th and a birdie on the 15th, she finished with a 72, maintaining a total of 3-under overall. Although she hit all fairways, missed greens resulted in the costly dropped shots.
Urs also started on the back nine, securing her spot for the weekend with another 72. Late birdies on the fourth and sixth holes helped her remain on the cut line at 2-over, despite recording three bogeys in the round.
Kapoor showed progress in her second round but fell short of making the cut, finishing with an overall score of 3-over.