Pranavi Urs Shines at Lalla Meryem Cup with Strong Opening Round

Impressive Start for Pranavi Urs

India's promising golfer, Pranavi Urs, showcased her skills with a solid opening round of 3-under 70, placing her in a tie for second at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco. The 23-year-old is just two strokes behind Australia's Kelsey Bennett, who leads the tournament with an impressive score of 5-under 68.

Pranavi's Steady Performance

Demonstrating her consistent form, Pranavi began her round on the back nine, quickly securing an early birdie on the 11th hole. She maintained her composure with seven consecutive pars, finishing the back nine at 1-under. On the front nine, she surged ahead with three birdies in a row on holes one, two, and three, briefly challenging for the lead. Although a bogey on the fourth hole slowed her progress, she finished strong with pars on the remaining holes, sharing second place with nine other competitors.

Aiming for a Breakthrough

Pranavi is on the verge of achieving her first title. Last season, she secured a top-10 finish at the Women's Indian Open and made headlines by winning the IGPL Invitational in Mumbai, becoming the first Indian woman to triumph in a mixed professional event against male golfers.

Leader's Round Highlights

Kelsey Bennett's impressive round featured seven birdies and two bogeys. She made birdies on the first, second, seventh, eighth, 12th, 13th, and 16th holes, with her only mistakes occurring on the 14th and 15th.

Challenges for Other Indian Players

Other Indian competitors faced difficulties, with Avani Prashanth and Diksha Dagar both finishing with rounds of 2-over 75, placing them tied for 61st. Hitaashee Bakshi struggled with a 5-over 78, landing her in a tie for 99th. Avani's round included a costly quadruple bogey on the second hole, although she managed to recover with birdies on the same hole and the eighth. Diksha's only birdie came on the second hole, but consecutive bogeys on the fifth and sixth holes hindered her performance. Hitaashee faced challenges early on, recording five bogeys on the back nine before finishing with late birdies on the eighth and ninth.

A Competitive Leaderboard

Among the top contenders, Japan's Ayako Uehara, Singapore's Shannon Tan, and England's Hannah Screen were the only players to complete the round without a bogey, joining Pranavi in the tie for second place.