GOLF
Yuvraj Sandhu top Indian at T-23 in Taiwan
Yuvraj Sandhu, who had a great start to the week, finished as the top Indian in tied 23rd place after closing it with 3-under 69 at Yeangder TPC in Chinese Taipei.
After his first round of 65, Sandhu was tied second but slipped on the second and third days with 71-74, before finishing with 69 for a 9-under total.
Among other Indians, Karandeep Kochhar (67-68-73-73) was unable to keep up the good start over the first two days and ended T-32. Ajeetesh Sandhu (67-72-69-73) was also T-32 and Shiv Kapur (68-70-72-77) ended T-63.
Thailand’s Suteepat Prateeptienchai put the finishing touches to a classy wire-to-wire win after signing off with a three-under-par 69 for a two-shot victory.
After a brilliant week, the 31-year-old Thai finished the USD 1million event on 21-under, holding off Asian Tour number one John Catlin, who claimed second place after a typically strong closing 65. The American had an explosive start, making birdie on his first five holes.
Miguel Tabuena from the Philippines was outright third, one shot back, following a 70, while Lee Chieh-po from Chinese-Taipei was fourth, another stroke behind, after a 67, at Linkou International Golf & Country Club.
- PTI
Sharma lands two eagles, moves up to T-44 in Spain
India’s Shubhankar Sharma compiled an interesting round of two-under 69 that included two eagles as he moved up from T-57 to T-44 with one more round to go in the Acciona Open de España presented by Madrid.
Sharma had two eagles, two birdies and four bogeys in the third round and this week he had landed three eagles – he had one in the first round – but has also dropped two doubles and two bogeys each on the first two days and four on the third.
At even par for 54 holes, he is T-44.
Angel Hidalgo will take a two-shot lead into the final round after producing a 68 on day three at Club de Campo Villa de Madrid.
The home favourite has led the way since carding an opening 65 in the Spanish capital and produced a confident display of front-running to get to 13 under after 54 holes.
Hidalgo is still looking for a maiden win on the DP World Tour and will be paired in an all-Spanish final group tomorrow alongside two-time Major Champion Jon Rahm and compatriot David Puig.
Rahm, a three-time winner of his national open in 2018, 2019 and 2022, played much of the round without his damaged driver but birdied two of the last three holes to reach 11 under, with Puig a further shot back as both carded 65s.
England’s Joe Dean and American Patrick Reed share fourth place at eight under, with Sweden’s Jens Fahrbring and another Spaniard in Adri Arnaus a shot further back.
- PTI
Pranavi 26th, Tvesa 50th on LET Order of Merit; Diksha set for China
Diksha Dagar stayed as the top Indian golfer on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit at 20th place with Pranavi Urs at 26th and Tvesa Malik in 50th position after the Lacoste Ladies Open de France here.
This week in France, Dagar skipped the event, while Pranavi and Tvesa, both multiple winners on Hero WPG Tour at home, missed the cut.
Diksha will feature in next week’s Aramco Series in China.
Meanwhile, a dramatic finale at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France ended with Chiara Tamburlini winning a playoff over Kirsten Rudgeley.
With the pair locked at seven-under par it was back to the 18th hole at Golf Barriere where the Swiss rookie, Tamburlini, produced an excellent birdie after her Australian opponent’s effort came up short.
The victory is Tamburlini’s second of 2024 after she dominated in South Africa to claim the Joburg Ladies Open.
Tamburlini started the day one shot clear of Annabel Dimmock with Rudgeley four shots behind in Deauville. A nervy start saw the Swiss star drop three shots on the front nine, however.
Three birdies in a row on the 8th, 9th, and 10th moved Tamburlini two clear before Rudgeley lit things up on the back nine by making four birdies on the 11th, 12th, 15th and 16th to move into the lead.
Then came the shot of a champion, Tamburlini stiffing her approach on the par-3 17th to tie things up and force a playoff with an even par round of 71.
After a round of 72 Dimmock finished in a tie for fourth alongside Finland’s Noora Komulainen and Italy’s Virginia Elena Carta. France’s Lois Lau ended the week as the best placed amateur, finishing T-15 on one-under par.
With the victory, Tamburlini moved to 1,918.44 points on the LET Order of Merit, extending her lead to 393.98 points over Manon De Roey. The Belgian had a wonderful Saturday herself, carding a round of the day 66 (-5) to finish third on six-under par.
- PTI
FOOTBALL
Chanmari FC qualifies for I-League 2 2024-25
Chanmari FC. | Photo Credit: AIFF
Chanmari FC continued to dazzle in the I-League 3 Play-Off as it won its third match on the trot at the Kalyani Stadium on Sunday.
The 2-1 victory against Abbas Union took the Mizoram outfit to nine points from three matches in Group B and ensured its qualification for the I-League 2, 2024-25.
In I-League 3, 10 teams have been divided into two groups of five each, and are being played in a single round-robin format. The top two teams from each group will earn promotion to the 2024-25 I-League 2. The two group winners will contest the final to be crowned the I-League 3 champions.
Chanmari, which won four straight matches in the qualifiers too, scored first in the 33rd minute through KC Malsawmzuala. Abbas Union, however, cancelled the lead within five minutes through Krishna Soren. In the second half, Malsawmzuala scored the winner for Chanmari in the 56th minute.
- Team Sportstar
VP Suhair Returns to Gokulam Kerala FC for I-League Push
VP Suhair returned to his former club Gokulam Kerala FC, with the club officially announcing the news on Sunday.
After a successful stint with East Bengal FC, where he won the Super Cup title, Suhair hopes to help the Malabarians secure the I-League title and earn a spot in next season’s ISL.
Suhair, known for his attacking prowess and versatility, has a strong track record in Indian football. His most notable achievement came in 2020 when he lifted the I-League trophy with Mohun Bagan.
Expressing his joy at rejoining Gokulam, Suhair said, “I’m really happy to be back at GKFC, a club where I have so many good memories and friends. I will give my best to help the team lift this year’s I-League trophy.”
GKFC President VC Praveen also shared his delight at Suhair’s return, stating, “We are thrilled to welcome VP Suhair back to Gokulam Kerala FC. He has been an important part of our club’s journey, and having him with us again will strengthen our pursuit of the I-League title this season.”
- Team Sportstar
MOTORSPORT
Arjun Maini finishes third in DTM race from maiden pole position
Arjun Maini finished third in race one of DTM at the Red Bull Ring after becoming the first Indian to secure pole position in the sports car series.
After many changes at the top of the timings sheet, it was the Mercedes-AMG driver who held his nerve in Saturday morning’s session and clocked the fastest time of 1:30.128 minutes on his final lap.
In race one, Maini came third behind winner Mirko Bortolotti and Maro Engel.
“That was really crazy, because my radio was not working so I did not know the result at first. I tried to see the times on the screens around the track. However, they were too far away.
“Pole position feels incredible. I can enjoy the moment for a few hours, until the race starts,” said Maini after his fine display in Spielberg.
The DTM grid is a highly competitive grid of 20 drivers representing all the manufacturers from Mercedes AMG, BMW, Audi, McLaren, Ferrari, Porshe and Lamborghini.
- PTI
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