Nairobi, Feb 10 (PTI) Young Indian golfer Pranavi Urs moved into Top-10 with a fine two-under 71 in the third round of the Magical Kenya Ladies Open at Vipingo Ridge here on Saturday.

The rookie on the Ladies European Tour, the 20-year-old Pranavi, who came through the Qualifying School, was tied eighth at 2-under 217. She had shot 73-73 in the first two rounds of the 2024 season’s first event.

Three of the four Indians in the field this week made the cut.

Vani Kapoor (73-74-76) was T-31st and Diksha Dagar, who was seventh after the first round, is T-39 with cards of 71-77-76.

Singapore rookie Shannon Tan, who last year won the Singapore Ladies Masters, while being an amateur, is in shared lead with rounds of 73-70-67 at 9-under.

Sharing the lead is Italy’s Alessandra Fanali (70-73-67), who birdied the last hole to join Shannon at the top.

Pranavi, who dominated India’s domestic Tour, the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour in 2022, before turning her sights onto the Ladies European Tour, also played a season on the Epson Tour in the United States.

Pranavi had four birdies in the middle of the round between the sixth and 11th holes with bogeys on the fifth and another late one on the 17th.

Earlier, she had five bogeys and five birdies in her first round of 73 and followed that up with a double bogey and a bogey against three birdies in the second round.

Vani had a rough time on the back nine, where she dropped four bogeys. Overall she had six bogeys against three birdies in 76. She is 4-over for 54 holes.

Diksha, third on the LET order of Merit in 2023, dropped four shots on the back nine as she carded 3-over 76 and is now 5-over for three rounds.

Amateur Avani Prashanth had earlier missed the cut with 81-78.

Fanali was bogey free in her 67, while Shannon had seven birdies against one bogey.

Samantha Bruce (71) was lying third at 4-under, while four players were tied fourth at 3-under and they included Aunchsia Utama of Thailand, Chiara Tamburlini of Switzerland, Aayeka Uehara of Japan and Natalya Guseva, the Q-School winner.

They were one shot ahead of Pranavi, who was tied eighth with three players, Sara Kosukova of Czech Republic, Alice Hewson of England and Ana Pelaez Trivino of Spain at 2-under.

The 36-hole leader Cara Gorlei of South Africa was among players at 1-under and in tied 12th spot.

At the end of the second round, the cut fell at +6 with 67 players making it through to the final two rounds.

Source: PTI News