Sneha opens a big five-shot lead over Hitaashee in 4th leg of WPGT 2024

Visakhapatnam: Sneha Singh continued her march in the fourth leg of the Women’s Pro Golf Tour WPGT) at the East Point Golf Club here as she extended her lead to five shots with one more round to go. Sneha, winner of the Order of Merit last season, carded 3-under 69 that included a superb hat-trick of birdies on the back-nine as she recovered from two bogeys before that.

Sneha with 70-69 is now 5-under 139 and leads by five over archrival Hitaashee Bakshi (72-72), who had a par round for the second straight day. Hitaashee is even par for two days as Sneha is the only player with under-par rounds on both days.

The day’s amateur star was Zara Anand (74-72), who with three birdies in the last four holes rose to a Tied third spot alongside Khushi Khanijau (72-74). They are both at 2-over 146.

Sneha, who started the day two shots ahead of Hitaashee, extended her lead early in the round. She birdied the second and the third to get off to a flying start. A bogey on the fourth was repaired with a birdie on the ninth.

On the back nine, Sneha seemed to have given away some ground with back-to-back bogeys on the 10th and the 11th. Yet she fought back strongly with a birdie on the 12th and then three in a row from the 14th to the 16th. Despite closing with a bogey on the 18th she was three-under for the day and once again it was the only under-par round of the day. Hitaashee had three birdies against three bogeys.

Zara birdied the third but gave away a double bogey on the Par-4 sixth hole as she turned in 1-over. On the back nine, she bogeyed the Par-5 14th to go 2-over. However, she rallied with birdies on the 15th, 16th and 18th and had a bogey in between on the 17th. She carded even par 72.

Khushi had three birdies against three bogeys.

Jasmine Shekar (74-75) and Ridhima Dilawari (73-77) are fifth and sixth, while four players, Disha Kavery (77-76), Yaalisai Verma (76-77), Rhea Jha (76-77) and Seher Atwal (76-77) are all tied for the seventh spot at 153.

The top 20 and ties made the cut in the Rs.10 lakh event and the cut fell at 159.