China Ladies Professional Golf Association: India’s 16-year-old amateur Mahreen Bhatia got off to a good start on a weather-interrupted day at the US$100,000 Singapore Ladies Masters here on Friday. Mahreen, a medallist at the US Kids European and World Championships, was 1-under through nine holes. She was tied-tenth in the event sanctioned by the China Ladies Professional Golf Association (CLPGA),
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.
China’s Cai Danlin was off to a flyer with a 5-under 67 and took the clubhouse lead. Amateur Ruolin Song of China was second at 4-under for the round. Thailand’s Kan Bunnabodee is a further shot back after signing for a 69 at the challenging Laguna Golf Resort.
Only half the field had finished as almost four hours of play was lost on account of a threat of lightning and later fading light. The remaining players will return early to complete their first round.
Mahreen, starting from the tenth, began a bogey on the tenth. She got the shot back with a birdie on the second.
“I was sitting on a 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.
“It was a great experience at this big stage,” added Mahreen. “It is going to be a long day tomorrow with possibly 27 holes.”
The 21-year-old Cai, a Shenzhen University undergraduate, mixed seven birdies against two bogeys to set the early pace. Cai holds a one-shot lead over Chinese amateur Song Ruolin who returned with a 68.
The Singapore Ladies Masters features 132 players from 14 countries.