Kolkata, Jan 28 (IANS): English golfer Kiran Matharu played out an even par round on Day 1 of the third leg of the Hero-RCGC Women’s Professional Golf Championship at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club to lead after Round 1 here Wednesday.

Order of Merit leader Vani Kapoor is second with a score of one over 73 while Chandigarh's Amandeep Drall ended at third place.

Kiran began on a cautious note, carding a solitary birdie on the fourth hole in the front nine as opposed to two bogeys. She played a more controlled back nine with birdies on the 15th and 17th holes and had just a single bogey on the 18th. She finished with a score of par 72 after 18 holes.

Vani had an inconsistent front nine carding a bogey on the first hole but came back strongly to card three consecutive birdies on the second, third and fourth.

However, a double bogey on the fifth cost her dearly. She followed it with a birdie but had two more bogeys on the seventh and ninth. After an erratic front nine, she seemed to settle down and played an even par back nine.

Amandeep finished with 2 over 74. She had birdies on the ninth and 15th and bogeys on the third and 10th. She also carded a double bogey on the seventh.

Sharmila Nicollet made a cautious comeback as she finished on 3 over 75 to be placed fourth. She carded bogeys on the third and seventh and a double bogey on the ninth. Her lone birdie came on the 13th.

Kolkata's Smriti Mehra and Neha Tripathi finished at tied fifth with identical scores of 4 over 76. Delhi's Ankita Tiwana and Gauri Monga are tied seventh, finishing at 5 over 77.