Golf: Pranavi Urs climbs leaderboard as Swiss Ladies Open takes shape

Holzhausern (Switzerland), Aug 14 (IANS) Pranavi Urs made a steady move up the leaderboard in the second round of the Swiss Ladies Open, reaching 2-under for the tournament through 27 holes and moving to around T-24 midway through her second round.

The Indian, who opened with a 1-under 70, made birdies on the third and fifth holes before dropping a shot on the ninth to turn in 1-under 34.

Tvesa Malik, runner-up at this event in 2024, was level par through three holes of her second round and remained around T-68, leaving her with work to do to make the cut.

Diksha Dagar, the highest-ranked Indian in the field, was facing a tougher challenge. After opening with a 1-over 71, she was 4-over through six holes of her second round and 4-over for the tournament, putting her in danger of missing the cut.

Sweden’s Kajsa Arwefjäll continued her impressive run at Golfpark Holzhäusern, following her opening 7-under 64 with a 6-under 66 to reach 13-under and take a three-shot lead.

Arwefjäll produced eight birdies against just one bogey across her second round and maintained the momentum that carried her to a T-10 finish at last week’s PIF London Championship.

The 12th-ranked player on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit is familiar with the course, having finished runner-up here last year behind Alice Hewson.

She has also enjoyed a strong season, including another runner-up finish at the Ladies Classic in Mauritius.

Australia’s Whitney Hillier was her closest challenger at 10-under after rounds of 66 and 67, while Spain’s Luna Sobron Galmes was also making a strong move. After opening with a 65, she was 3-under through six holes of her second round and 9-under overall.

Defending champion Alice Hewson was also well placed as she continued her bid for a historic hat-trick of Swiss Ladies Open titles. The Englishwoman followed her opening 3-under 68 with another 68 to move into the top 10.

Hewson is attempting to become the first player to win the Swiss Ladies Open three consecutive times.

The Spanish players again made a strong impression during the morning wave, with Sobron Galmes and compatriot Ana Pelaez Trivino both producing 6-under 65s. Blanca Fernandez also carded an impressive 5-under 66.

Fernandez shared fourth place at 5-under alongside 2023 champion Alexandra Försterling of Germany, Japan’s Ayaka Furue, Wales’ Chloe Williams and Hillier.

For Pranavi, the priority will now be to complete her second round strongly and position herself for a weekend challenge. After her impressive final-round 66 at the PIF London Championship last week lifted her to T-19, another good finish in Switzerland would add further momentum to her season.

With the leaderboard tightly packed behind Arwefjäll, the Indian trio have contrasting objectives. Pranavi is looking to climb further, Tvesa needs to make up ground to survive the cut, while Diksha faces the most immediate pressure as she fights to stay in the tournament.

–IANS

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