Pune, Feb 25 (IANS): Vaishavi Sinha played a bogey-free round of four-under 68 to grab the early lead in the Hero-Oxford Women’s Professional Golf Championship at the Oxford Golf & Country Club here Wednesday.

Following Vaishavi are Kiran Matharu and Neha Tripathi, who are placed second and third, respectively, after the first round. While Kiran carded 70, Neha scored 72.

Vaishavi started impressively, carding two birdies on the second and eighth holes in her front nine. She sustained the momentum in the latter half as well, adding two more birdies on the 15th and 17th.

Kiran carded two-under 70 that included three birdies on the fourth, seventh and 18th. She dropped a shot on the 17th to be placed second.

Kolkata’s Neha is placed third. Her round was a mixed bag. It included three birdies on the 14th, 15th and 17th against an equal number of bogeys on the eighth, 10th and 16th.

Vani Kapoor carded 73 to take the fourth spot. Vani played a birdie-less round with a lone bogey on the first hole.

Bengaluru golfer Sharmila Nicollet and Kapurthala’s Gursimar Badwal are tied fifth, with identical scores of two-over 74.

Sharmila had an indifferent day on the field. She carded three bogeys on the second, eighth and ninth with a lone birdie on the fourth in her front nine. She played with much more control in the latter half, carding one more birdie on the 15th while dropping just one shot on the 12th hole.

Gursimar carded three birdies on the second, 15th and 16th. However, bogeys on the sixth, seventh, ninth, 13th and 17th spoilt her scoreline. She finished just ahead of Delhi’s Gauri Monga and Panchkula’s Amandeep Drall, who are tied seventh with identical scores of three-over 75.