NEW DELHI: Australia’s Wade Ormsby took a two-stroke lead at the $ 300,000 Panasonic Open India yesterday after posting a five-under-par 67 for a second day running.
Singapore’s Lam Chih Bing, who had earlier taken the morning lead, slipped to second place after he carded a 69 at the Delhi Golf Club, while home-hope S.S.P. Chowrasia was joint third alongside Thai veteran Boonchu Ruangkit.
The 33-year-old Ormsby began the day with two birdies in his opening three holes. He birdied again on the eight before dropping his only shot of the round on the par-four nine, and turned on 34.
He then made three more birdies on holes 13, 16 and 18, putting him in with a good chance of winning his maiden Asian Tour event.
“There were lots of cross winds and it was tricky to try and keep them in the fairways. I just have to keep doing what I’ve been doing. My short game was fantastic today and hopefully that continues,” the Australian said, according to a statement released by organizers.
Meanwhile Lam knows he has to stay focused to grind out a victory despite competing on numerous occasions at the Delhi Golf Club.
“You can know the course very well but you still have to perform,” said Lam.
Three share lead
In Rancho Mirage, California, Na Yeon Choi, Suzann Pettersen and Jodi Ewart Shadoff fired four-under par 68s Thursday to share the first round lead at the LPGA Kraft Nabisco, the first major of the season.
Both South Korea’s Choi and Norway’s Pettersen had four birdies with no bogeys on the par-72 Dinah Shore tournament course at Mission Hills, while England’s Ewart Shadoff had six birdies and two bogeys.
Ewart Shadoff had seized the outright lead with four holes to play thanks to a four-birdie burst starting at the par-five 11th, but she gave back a stroke with her second bogey of the day at the 16th.
Choi, ranked third in the world, teed off on 10 and picked up her first birdie at the 14th, draining a 30-footer from the fringe.
A brace of birdies at 16 and 17 was followed by nine pars before she punctuated her round with a birdie at the par-five ninth.
Pettersen also started on the back nine and came alive with three birdies in a row from the 16th.
Her only other birdie came at the par-four-seventh.
Pettersen has three runner-up finishes in this event. Despite her desire to go one step better, the fiercely competitive player believes it’s important to enjoy the experience.
The leading trio was one stroke in front of South Korean Amy Yang and Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist.
World No. 4 Inbee Park was among 11 players who shot 70, including her South Korean compatriots Jiyai Shin and Hee Young Park, Italy’s Giulia Sergas and Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn.
