Indian sports news wrap, February 12
Catch the updates and scores of all Indians in action on February 12.
Published : Feb 12, 2023 13:25 IST
FILE PHOTO: Aditi Ashok plays a shot from a bunker on the seventh hole during the final round of the women’s golf event at the 2020 Summer Olympics on August 7, 2021.
GOLF
Aditi finishes third in Morocco but stays on top in Order of Merit
Rabat: Indian golfer Aditi Ashok gave it all but just could not find the magic with the putter as she managed 1-under 72 in the third and final round to finish a creditable third in the Lalla Meryem Cup here.
Aditi, who began the final round at 6-under, finished at 7-under, a week after winning the Magical Kenya Ladies Open.
Starting two shots behind the leader, Sweden’s Maja Stark, who was in fine form despite one bogey on either side of the course.
Stark shot 4-under for a total of 12-under and won by four shots over another Swede Linn Grant (68).
It was Stark’s sixth Ladies European Tour (LET) title.
The consolation for Aditi was that she still leads the way in the 2023 Race to Costa Del Sol (Order of Merit). She received 230 points to take her overall tally to 730. Stark picked up 500 points this week to be second.
The drama started right at the beginning as Aditi birdied the opening hole to draw level with Stark after the Swede made a bogey.
But Stark recovered fast and then took control on the front nine. She came back with birdies two, five, and nine to move ahead of Aditi.
On the back nine Grant, who started the day five shots adrift, carded birdies on 12, 14 and 15 after going out in 34 (-3) to close the gap to two.
Stark responded with a birdie of her own on 14, before Grant’s momentum ended after she bogeyed the par-4 16th for a third consecutive day.
Three shots clear of Aditi and Grant with four holes to play, the 23-year-old Stark then stayed composed. She birdied 17th before closing out the win with an excellent par save on 18 to finish on -12.
Stark started the year on the LPGA with a tied second finish at the LPGA Tour’s Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Championship last month.
A final round 69 saw Switzerland’s Albane Valenzuela finish fourth on -6. Czechia’s Jana Melichova and Spain’s Ana Pelaez Trivino finished in a tie for fifth.
-PTI
Weak finishes cost Bhullar and Rashid in third round in Oman
Muscat: Indian golfers Gaganjeet Bhullar and Rashid Khan suffered nightmarish finishes in the third round, dropping three shots each in the closing stages to drop to Tied-16th and 21st respectively at the USD 2 million International Series Oman on the Asian Tour here.
Bhullar shot an even par 72 for third day running while Rashid (70) fell from five-under to 2-under in a matter of four holes.
Japan’s latest star, Takumi Kanaya continued his impressive performance as he took the third-round lead.
Kanaya started the day with an one-shot lead and by the end still stayed one ahead of fellow Japanese youngster Ryo Hisatsune. Both shot five-under-par 67.
SSP Chawrasia and Shiv Kapur shot 72 each and were tied 31st and S Chikkarangappa (74) was T-59. Honey Baisoya (86) had a horrible day and was T-78.
Jyoti Randhawa (73) slipped from T-12 to T-21 after dropping three shots in first six holes. He got them all back but then again bogeyed 18th and finished with 73.
Bhullar starting the day at Tied-12 looked set to be inside Top-10 but the loss of three shots pulled him down.
Rashid had a nice hat-trick of birdies at the end of the front nine as he carded 2-under 70.
Bhullar opened with a birdie on first, but gave that gain back on the third. He made amends with a birdie on third and added more on seventh and 12th. He dropped a double on 16 and a bogey on 17.
Rashid had a superb front nine with a birdie on third and three in a row from seventh to ninth. A birdie on 12th saw him get to five-under for the day. But he also finished weakly with three bogeys on 15th, 16th and 18th.
Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana also shot 67 to sit in third place, three back from the leader.
Spaniard Sergio Garcia and Joaquin Niemann from Chile moved into the fourth position, four off top spot, after rounds of 68 and 69 respectively.
Kanaya was helped by a brilliant run of four birdies in five holes from the eighth. In all he made six birdies in total and just one bogey.
Two-time Australian Open champion Matt Jones fired a 67 to finish on three-under to give himself an outside chance on Sunday.
-PTI
FOOTBALL
Sreenidi Deccan FC wins
Hyderabad: Sreenidi Deccan FC scored a 2-0 win over Rajasthan United in the Hero I-League football championship at Deccan Arena in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Asheer Akhtar and Lalromawia struck once each in the first-half for the winners.
This win takes the Deccan Warriors to the top of the standings with 37 points from 17 matches.
The home team surged ahead of a corner in the fifth minute when Akhtar found the target with his left-footer into the bottom of the corner. This was his third goal of the season.
Sreenidi Deccan will next face bottom side Sudeva Delhi FC on February 19.
The result: Sreenidi Deccan FC 2 (Asheer Akhtar, Lalromawia) bt Rajasthan United 0.
V .V. SUBRAHMANYAM
ARCHERY
Tarundeep and Ankita win recurve titles; Jyothi, Priyansh champions in compound
Tarundeep Rai and Ankita Bhakat emerged as the recurve men and women champions in the final leg of the 2022 National Ranking Archery Tournament (NRAT), which concluded in Delhi on Sunday.
The experienced Rai defeated young Parth Salunkhe 6-2, while Ankita beat Madhu Vedwan 6-4 in the finals.
Priyansh and V. Jyothi Surekha were the men and women champions in the compound division.
The previous four legs of the NRAT were held between January and October last year.
The results (seniors only):
-Team Sportstar
Yuki, Saketh lose in the semifinals
Yuki Bhambri and Saketh Myneni were beaten by the second seeds Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow 7-6(11), 7-5 in the doubles semifinals of the $822,585 ATP tennis tournament in Dallas, USA.
The Indian pair collected 90 ATP points and $12,230.
The results: $822,585 ATP, Dallas, USA: Doubles (semifinals): Nathaniel Lammons & Jackson Withrow (USA) bt Yuki Bhambri & Saketh Myneni 7-6(11), 7-5.
-Team Sportstar