Golf: Amateur Avani and Tvesa Malik top Indians at German Masters

BRANDENBURG (GERMANY) — Tvesa Malik and amateur Avani Prashanth were the top Indians after the first day at the Amundi German Masters. The duo shot even par 72 each and were Tied-18th as the remaining five Indians in the field faced varying fortunes.

Diksha Dagar and Pranavi Urs carded 2-over 74 each and were T-44. However, at one time Pranavi was T-3 as she reached 2-under with the help of two eagles in her round. A triple bogey at the finish cost her dearly.

Vani Kapoor and Sneha Singh shot 3-over 75 each to be T-62 and Amandeep Drall, playing her first LET event of the season was T-79 with 4-over 76.

Germany’s Patricia Isabel Schmidt fired an opening round of 68 (-4) to lead by one shot at the end of the first day. The German star, who grew up near Stuttgart, began her first round from the 10th tee at Golf & Country Club Seddiner See with the wind in full force.

Schmidt made a double bogey on her first hole, however, she soon recovered rolling in birdies on holes 12, 17 and 18 to make the turn in 35 (-1).

The 28-year-old, who won the 2023 Belgian Ladies Open on the LET, then made three more birdies on holes one, six and eight for her 68 and leads her home tournament on four-under-par.

Two players sit in a tie for second place just one shot further back with Austria’s Emma Spitz and Swedish amateur Meja Örtengren both on three-under-par. They shot 3-under 69 each.

Three-time LET winner Försterling, who is from Berlin, had a slower start and was two-over after 10 holes but had an excellent finish with four birdies in her final six holes for a round of 70 (-2).

Tvesa had four birdies and four bogeys and Avani had the same.

Pranavi, a former Order of Merit winner on Women’s Pro Golf Tour, began on the tenth with bogeys on the 10th and the 11th, but she then eagled the Par-5 12th and the Par-5 16th. A dropped shot on 17th meant she turned in 1-under 35. After five pars from the first to the fifth, she birdied the sixth to go 2-under but dropped a shot on the seventh and then had a triple bogey on the Par-4 ninth, her closing hole.

Diksha, who was Tied-third at the event last year, had two birdies against four bogeys for her 74.