Indian golfers Ridhima Dilawari and Tvesa Malik had a promising start to the La Sella Open on the Ladies European Tour, both finishing tied for 17th place after the first round. They both carded a 2-under 70, setting themselves up for a strong showing in the following rounds.
Ridhima, who finished her round late on Thursday evening, faced a challenging start with a bogey on the first hole. However, she quickly recovered with three birdies against two bogeys across a crucial stretch of holes from the 8th to the 12th. Despite being at even par through 16 holes, she finished strong with birdies on her final two holes for a solid 2-under score.
Tvesa, teeing off from the 10th hole, had a steady back-nine with eight pars and a birdie on the par-4 15th. On her second nine, she started with a birdie on the first and added another on the third, putting her in a strong position at 3-under. Unfortunately, she dropped her only shot of the day on the par-3 fourth but managed to par the remaining holes for a final score of 2-under.
Meanwhile, the other two Indian participants, Pranavi Urs and Seher Atwal, finished T-31 and T-63 respectively. Pranavi had a balanced round with three birdies and three bogeys for a 72, while Seher struggled with a 73.
The leaderboard was tightly packed after the first day, with Virginia Elena Carta, Helen Briem, and Elina Nummenpaa sharing the lead at a remarkable 5-under 67 each in the one million euro event.
In a different part of the golfing world, Shubhankar Sharma had a difficult start at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club. He finished the first round with a disappointing 3-over 75, leaving him in a precarious position and making it difficult for him to make the cut.
Shubhankar had a rollercoaster round, which included an eagle, a birdie, and six bogeys. He started strong with a birdie and an eagle in his first four holes, but unfortunately, four bogeys on his back nine ultimately hampered his score.
Meanwhile, Matthew Baldwin dominated the first round with a flawless seven-under-par round of 65, placing him one shot ahead of the competition. The 38-year-old Englishman maintained his composure throughout the round, sinking his seventh birdie at the last hole to secure the outright lead.
