Mumbai, Feb 26 : Vietnam-bound amateur Saanvi Somu played a steady bogey-free second round of two-under 68 to move into the lead in the fourth leg of the Women's Pro Golf Tour (WPGT) at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club here on Wednesday. The 16-year-old Saanvi has finished runner-up multiple times on the WPGT, the latest of which was the first leg this season. After Mannat Brar was on the top a day earlier, Saanvi is the second amateur to take the spotlight this week.

Saanvi, who will be in the Indian team at next week's Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship, shot 73 in the first round. In the second she parred the first 11 holes before she found her first birdie on the Par-4 12th hole. That was followed by five steady pars and a birdie on the Par-5 18th for a 68. At 1-over 141 she is one ahead of the experienced Vani Kapoor who added an even par 70 to her first round of 72.

Vani, who will soon be playing on the international circuit, had three birdies and three bogeys in her first 11 holes and parred the last seven. Another amateur Anuradha Chaudhuri shot even par 70 to get into a three-way tie with Vani and Seher Atwal (72-70).

Lavanya Jadon, who began the day with a bogey, did well to pick four birdies between the fifth and the 14th as she shot even par 70 and was placed Tied-fifth alongside Jasmine Shekar, a two-time winner in 2024. Jasmine had rounds of 72-71 to be 3-over 143.

On a tight leaderboard that has a dozen players within four shots of each other, Gaurika Bishnoi (75-69) was the sole seventh. Gaurika began the day with an eagle, the only one of the day, and then had nine pars. She dropped back-to-back bogeys on the 11th and the 12th but picked a birdie on the closing hole, the 18th, for a 69 which was the day's second-best after Saanvi's 68.

First-round leader amateur Mannat Brar (68-77), who accompanies Saanvi to the Women's Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship in Vietnam next week, was tied eighth alongside Hitaashee Bakshi (72-73), winner of the 2024 Order of Merit, Shweta Mansingh (70-75), Disha Kavery (74-71) and Kriti Chowhan (70-75). They were all 5-over 145 each.

Mannat, who had a superb first round, faltered on the second day and after a first day's 68 she went nine shots over that with three bogeys and two double bogeys in a round of 7-over 77. Ridhima Dilawari (74-72) was T-13 with Ananya Datar and Durga Nittur. Sneha Singh, winner of the last two events, had another off-day as she followed her first round 73 with a 74 and was T-16. At 7-over 147 she is six behind but a low final round can give her an outside chance of a hat-trick of wins after having won the last two legs.

/IANS