Mumbai: Gursimar Badwal carded 1 over 71 in the second round to grab the lead in the fifth leg of the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club here on Wednesday. Sharmila Nicollet played the only par round of the day to take the second position with a total score of 142. The INR 6,00,000 event will culminate tomorrow.

Kapurthala’s Gursimar Badwal started cautiously, playing an even par front nine. She dropped three shots in her back nine on the 10th, 11th and 13th holes, but two late birdies on the 16th and 18th helped her to finish the round with a total score of 141. She is yet to register a win on the Tour and will be eager to claim her maiden professional title at the BPGC today. Hero Motocorp sponsored Sharmila Nicollet carded the best score of the day to take the second position. The Bengaluru golfer carded a birdie and a bogey apiece on the 1st and 9thholes respectively, to finish with a score of par 70 in the second round.

Overnight leader Smriti Mehra and the Delhi duo of Ankita Tiwana and Mehar Atwal are all tied for the third position with identical totals of 144 after 36 holes. Kolkata’s Smriti Mehra could not sustain her first round momentum and carded 7 over 77 on the day. Two double bogeys on the 6th and 11th holes, a quadruple on the 4th and a bogey on the 18th did not help her cause, but two birdies on the 2nd and 16th holes coupled with her heroics on the first day helped her to finish three shots adrift of the leader.

Ankita Tiwana started impressively, playing a bogey-free front nine with two birdies on the 2nd and 9th holes. Two under at the turn, she was unable to capitalise on her good start and could not add another birdie to her tally. She dropped three shots on the 11th, 12th and 16th holes on her return journey to finish the round with a score of 1 over 71. Mehar Atwal carded two birdies on the 13th and 14th holes, along with three bogeys on the 9th, 15th and 16th. She too finished the round with a score of 1 over 71.

Pune’s Shweta Galande and Delhi’s Gauri Monga are tied for the sixth place with identical totals of 146, followed by Kolkata’s Neha Tripathi in eighth position with a total score of 147 after the second round.