Mumbai, May 19 -- Despite a slight wobble on the back nine, promising Aida Thimmaiah of Karnataka put her illustrious rivals in the shade on the opening day of the IGU Maharashtra Ladies and Junior Girls Golf Championship at the Willingdon Club here on Tuesday.

The 12-year-old shot the lone sub-par round (one-under 64) on a tough scoring day to take a one-shot lead over Yogya Bhalla. Ayesha Gupta, who won the overall title in the season opener, shot one-over 66 to sit a shot further back, while Mehak Lohan sat alone in fourth place with a 67.

The young Aida, playing in a higher category, began well with birdies on the third, fourth, sixth, and ninth holes. The lone blemish on the front nine came on the seventh, where she ended up with a...