Bengaluru: Nishtha Madan got the USHA IGU All-India Ladies and Juniors Girls Golf Championship 2014, off to a rollicking start at the Par 72 Eagleton Golf Resort here on Tuesday, leading the Ladies section, as well as Category A, with a fine round of two-under 70.

Nishtha, representing North, was in fine form and looks set to end what has otherwise been a moderate season with the biggest trophy of them all, the All-India. However, the job may not be easy, with Tavleen Batra and Seher Atwal poised to strike, both returning cards of par 72.

The contest could really snowball into a big battle, since there are as many as five golfers tied at fourth, on 73.

Nishtha dropped a shot on the second hole, but had a good first nine otherwise, with birdies on the 3rd, 4th and 9th holes, giving her a tally of two-under 34 at the turn. Her return leg was not as good as she had on the 14th and a birdie on the 16th, to end with her day’s score.

In Category A, Nishtha and Seher were leading the pack, with local talent Aditi Ashok, Ridhima Dilawari and Vrishali Sinha tied at 3rd with 75.

Category B saw Diksha Dagar, representing Army, and Arshia Mahant (North) tied for the top spot with scores of 73. Arshia in fact looked set to top the table after the first nine, with a tally of one-under 35, but she had a pretty poor return leg and had to be content tied with Diksha, who had a steady round overall. Riya Ahuja (77) was holding lone third.

In Category C, Anika Varma (North), with a score of 75, was one stroke ahead of Esha Sharma, while Vasundhara Thiara was on 81.

USHA International (UIL) is strongly committed to the development of sports in the country and has been a major supporter of golf for the last 25 years. USHA’s unwavering support to golf has encouraged many promising young talents across to the nation pursue the sport in a professional manner. USHA, the nationwide sponsor of the entire Indian Golf Union (IGU) Ladies Tour, meanwhile continues its long association with the sport. USHA covers the entire spectrum of the game in the country – from juniors, to ladies, to professional golf.