Singapore, Jun 14 (PTI) Making her first appearance in a professional event outside the country, Indian amateur Mahreen Bhatia shot a one-under through nine holes and was lying tied 10th on a rain-hit day at the Singapore Ladies Masters.
China’s Cai Danlin, looking for her first pro win, got off to a solid start with a 5-under 67 and took the clubhouse lead. Amateur Ruolin Song of China was second at 4-under for the round.
Around half the field had finished as almost four hours of play was lost. The remaining players will return early to complete their first round.
The 16-year-old Mahreen started from the tenth and began with a bogey but shot back with a birdie on the second.
“I was sitting on difficult par putt when play was stopped,” said Mahreen.
When play resumed four hours later, she sank the par putt.
A 12-foot birdie putt on the 13th, her fourth hole, was neutralized by a bogey on the Par-4 16th. Just before play was called off for the day in fading light, she sank a crucial birdie putt on the Par-4 18th to go 1-under.
The other two Indians in the field — Seher Atwal and Hitaashee Bakshi, had a tougher day. Seher was one-over through six holes and Hitaashee was 2-over through eight. Neither Seher nor Hitaashee has had a birdie yet.
The 21-year-old Cai, Shenzhen University undergraduate, mixed seven birdies with two bogeys to set the early pace.
Cai holds a one-shot lead over Chinese amateur Song Ruolin who returned with a 68 while Thailand’s Kan Bunnabodee is a further shot back after signing for a 69.
Source: PTI News
