Gwladys Nocera sitting pretty

Gwladys Nocera.

With a new course record on the first day of the competition, Gwladys Nocera set herself up as the frontrunner to win the eighth Hero women’s Indian Open golf tournament at the Delhi Golf Club here on Thursday.

The 39-year-old Frenchwoman shot a nine-under 64 on the par 73 course to sit pretty on top of the leaderboard after Round One as the shortened yardage made the DGC, considered among the tightest courses in the country, easier for the top professionals in the fray.

England’s Holly Clyburn and local hope Vaishavi Sinha were tied second three shots behind while defending champion Thidapa Suwannapura of Thailand, playing in the same group as Gwladys, was placed in a five-way tie at fifth spot with a three-under 70 score.

Early start

With winter yet to set in and hardly any fog or dew, the early morning start helped players hold a steady line on the greens. Gwladys, who teed off on the 10th hole, did not drop a shot through the day and made four birdies on the 11th, 14th, 15th and 18th holes before adding five more on the front nine.

Among the Indians Vaishavi, playing her first year on the professional circuit, impressed with strong putts for a six-under 67 including birdies on the first four holes. She bogied the 10th, 13th and 16th holes but managed to keep her short game consistent.

The scores:64: Gwladys Nocera (Fra); 67: Holly Clyburn (Eng), Vaishavi Sinha (Ind); 69: Chloe Leurquin (Bel); 70: Thidapa Suwannapura (Tha), Liz Young (Eng), Gauri Monga (Ind), Shweta Galande (Ind), Gursimar Badhwal (Ind); 71: Sharmila Nicollet (Ind), Vani Kapoor (Ind), Carlota Ciganda (Esp), Bo-Mi Suh (Kor), Hannah Burke (Eng), Fabienne In-Albon (Sui), Titiya Plucksataporn (Tha).

72: Sahra Hassan (Wal), Hyeon Seo Kang (Kor), Saraporn Chamchoi (Tha), Linda Wessberg (Swe), Stefania Croce (Ita), Wichanee Meechai (Tha).

73: Ye Seul Lee (Kor), Stephanie Kirchmayr (Ger), Alison Whitaker (Aus), Amy Boulden (Wal), Beth Allen (USA), Smriti Mehra (Ind), Kanphaninan Muangkhumsakul (Tha), Sophie Sandolo (Ita), Nina Holleder (Ger), Sally Watson (Sco).