Sharmila Nicollet off to sluggish start in India, dents confidence in second round
Indian Sharmila Nicollet shot a 73 in the opening round of Hero Women’s Indian Open, grabbing a share of 25th position on the leaderboard.
Nicollet is being regarded as one of the strongest Indian contenders, but she could not make as good a start as local fans had expected her to.
Starting her round at the DLF Golf & Country Club on Friday, Nicollet looked calm and composed as she parred the first four holes. She faltered on the par-4 5th hole and registered her first bogey. The Indian star, however, regained her composure by shooting an eagle on the par-5 6th.
Nicollet continued to show an aggressive game and launched a birdie on the par-4 7th. On the back nine, she looked a little nervous as she carded four bogeys and just one birdie.
Becky Brewerton and Stefania Croce were more than happy during the first round as they both shot a 69 each to grab an early lead. However, Aditi Ashok, a young Indian, showed a fiery performance and stormed to the top, taking a share of lead.
Nicollet could not improve her position in the second round as well. She shot an unimpressive 76 to further dent her confidence.
Starting the round on the back nine, the Indian golfer could not keep a grip on her driver and ended up carding a bogey on the 10th. She shot another bogey on the 13th and further dented her position with a double bogey on the 14th.
She tried to regain her momentum on the front nine as she sank an eagle on the par-5 6th. However, she once again displayed a poor performance as she registered two more bogeys.
Before the start of the tournament, Nicollet expressed her confidence in her game, saying she would try to gain an early lead by making big score in the first round.
“I’ll be concentrating on playing one shot at a time, trusting my swing changes, regulating under par rounds and bringing the trophy home,” said Nicollet.
She said that she is happy with the way things are going in her pro career. “It’s been a great learning experience and an eye opener to the level of golf abroad”.
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