Sharmila Nicollet, Vani Kapoor in joint lead after second round

Bengaluru: Playing an inspired round of golf on her home course, Sharmila Nicollet fired a superb four under 68 to climb to the top of the leaderboard and share the number one spot with Vani Kapoor at the end of day two at the KGA here on Thursday.

Both golfers ended round two with an identical score of 145 to finish ahead of Panchkula's Amandeep Drall, placed third with a total score of 149.

The INR 7,00,000 event will culminate tomorrow.

Local sensation Sharmila started the day in tied 8th position, and quickly turned things around with a bogey-free round of four under 68. She carded birdies on the 2nd, 6th, 10th and 11th holes to move into joint lead and make a strong bid for her first title of the year.

Overnight leader Vani had an inconsistent start and played a birdie-less front nine with bogies on the 3rd, 8th and 9th holes. The Hero Order of Merit leader, however, recovered soon, and a bogey-free back nine helped her stay in the hunt for her fifth title of the year.

Vani carded birdies on the 10th, 12th and 15th holes to finish the round with an even par score.

Rookie Amandeep played a birdie-less front nine, with two bogies on the 2nd and 8th holes, along with a double bogey on the 7th hole. However, she played a blemish-free back nine carding a lone birdie on the 10th hole to end the day with a score of three over 75.

Kolkata's Neha Tripathi, Delhi's Ankita Tiwana and amateur Aditi Ashok are tied fourth with identical scores of 150. Delhi golfers Gauri Monga, Mehar Atwal and Kolkata's Smriti Mehra with a total score of 152 are in tied seventh position after 36 holes. Amateur Trisha Sunil is in 10th position with a score of 153.