AT&T Byron Nelson C’ships: Lahiri moves to tied 44th

Anirban Lahiri shoots three-under 68 in the opening round.

Published : May 18, 2018 22:07 IST

 Anirban Lahiri hit five birdies against two bogeys at the end of 18 holes.
Anirban Lahiri hit five birdies against two bogeys at the end of 18 holes.
lightbox-info

Anirban Lahiri hit five birdies against two bogeys at the end of 18 holes.

India’s Anirban Lahiri shot three-under 68 in the opening round to move to tied 44th at the AT&T Byron Nelson Championships in Dallas, U.S. Lahiri hit five birdies against two bogeys at the end of 18 holes.

Daniel Chopra, playing only his second PGA Tour event this season, shot three-over 74 and will need a very low number to make the cut.

Australian Marc Leishman took the lead; Leishman has one of the best scoring averages in the tournament’s history as he opened with a 10-under 61 round. J. J. Spaun and Texan Jimmy Walker were three shots back at seven-under 64. Spaun had six birdies in a span of seven holes for a 30 on his second nine. Local star Jordan Spieth was eight shots behind the leader with a round of two-under 69.

Lahiri birdied fifth and seventh, but a dropped shot on ninth meant he turned in one-under. A second bogey on 10th brought him back to even par, but birdies on 11th, 14th and 16th meant he finished at three-under.

The 34-year-old Leishman opened with an eagle, started the back nine with three straight birdies and reached nine-under with another eagle at the 14th. He had chances to go lower but settled for a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-3 17th for the lowest round of his PGA Tour career. He was a stroke shy of the Nelson record.

Sam Saunders, Aaron Wise and Keith Mitchell shot matching 65s playing in the first group off the first tee. Defending champion Billy Horschel shot 68.

Baisoya slips to tied 23rd in China

Honey Baisoya slipped down the leaderboard to tied 23rd spot on the second day of the USD 300,000 Asia-Pacific Classic golf tournament in Henan, China.

The 27-year-old Indian, who was tied second after the first day, added a one-over 73 to his first round of five-under 67 and at four-under 140. He was one of the two Indians who made the halfway cut, while the other two fell by the wayside. S. Chikkarangappa (72-71) was tied 47th, but Viraj Madappa (76-73) and Himmat Rai (78-75) missed the cut.

Baisoya’s record on his home tour in India is excellent with six wins in last two-and-a-half years, including back-to-back wins last month besides a second-place finish and another fourth place. He also leads his home tour, PGTI’s Order of Merit. Baisoya, who hit 16 out of 18 greens on the first day, had 15 in 18 on the second day, but needed 34 putts as against 28 on the first day.

Read: Pranav Prince lives his father's dreams

He bogeyed three times on the front nine, but recovered somewhat with two birdies against no further bogeys for a 73. He was the only player in top 30 to go over par for the round. Natipong Srithong of Thailand shot a second round five-under-par 67, which includes six birdies against one bogey, to grab a share of the halfway lead at the St Andrews Golf Club.

Read: Pacquiao says Matthysse bout to be 'basis' for retirement call

The 27-year-old John Catlin (68-66) of the United States shared the lead with Natipong on a 10-under-par 134 total.

American Charlie Saxon, fighting a stomach ache, displayed the form that led to two titles on the China Golf Tour as he returned with a bogey-free 66, while Australian Adam Blyth, starting on 10th, began his second round unceremoniously but ended the day with a birdie blitz from fifth to ninth to finish with a 66.

Disappointing start for Chawrasia in Belgium

S. S. P. Chawrasia opened with a below-par five-over 77 to make a disappointing start to his campaign at the inaugural Belgian knockout. Chawrasia had two birdies, four bogeys and two doubles in his opening round at Rinkven International Golf Club. He will play his second round later in the day.

Meanwhile, Jorge Campillo set the clubhouse target on Day Two as the weekend began to take shape. The innovative new format on the European Tour will see the field of 144 play strokeplay for 36 holes. At the end of that, top 64 will advance to a nine-hole strokeplay knockout, with the winner being crowned on Sunday after a total of 90 holes.

Spaniard Campillo carded a second consecutive 67 to get to eight-under and secure his place over the weekend with room to spare. The top 16 players on Friday will be handed a seeding, meaning that if they finish on the same score as their opponent in the first knockout round, they will advance to the last 32.

Home hero Thomas Detry, Australian Dimitrios Papadatos, Frenchman Victor Perez and Dane Jeff Winther were all well placed for a seeding, two shots off the lead.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment