GOLF
Vani best Indian at tied 13th place in Jeddah as all four make cut
Jeddah: The Indian quartet of Vani Kapoor, Diksha Dagar, Amandeep Drall and Tvesa Malik made the cut at the Aramco Team Series – Jeddah.
Vani, who has been in good form of late as the season moves towards the closing stages, added 2-under 70 to her first round 3-under 69 and was 5-under to be tied 13th.
She was the best-placed Indian in the field at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.
Diksha (71-72), on the other hand, was tied 32nd and Amandeep (74-70) with two late birdies was tied 46th.
Tvesa (71-74) made things tough for herself with a double bogey on her last hole, but squeezed inside the cut line at 1-over and she was tied 56th.
Overall, in the individual competition, England’s Charley Hull holds a one-shot lead heading into the final day after carding a bogey-free round of 7-under 65 to be nine-under-par.
Hull, winner of the individual champion from the 2021 Aramco Team Series – New York, had a phenomenal front nine to make the turn in six-under and then finished with a flourish with a birdie on 18.
Three players sit in a tie for second place with Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall, Slovenia’s Pia Babnik and Italy’s Virginia Elena Carta all on eight-under-par.
Vani started on the tenth but was 2-over by her eighth hole. A birdie on 18th, her ninth hole, was followed by a bogey on the second. She was 2-over at that point.
A birdie on third reversed the momentum and she closed with three birdies in a row. On the first day, she had four birdies in her first five holes and carded 3-under 69.
Diksha had just one birdie on 13th and one bogey on sixth in her 72.
Amandeep was even par through 12 holes with a total of 2-over and outside the cutline. But back-to-back birdies on fourth and fifth took her inside the line as she finished at 2-under for the day and even for 36 holes in tied 46th place.
Tvesa seemed to be making the cut comfortably before she gave away a double bogey on her last hole to just scrape in.
Defending champion Babnik was the only player able to match Hull on day two as she also produced a round of 7-under 65 with eight birdies and one bogey.
South Africa’s Garcia and Spain’s Ana Peláez Trivino are in a share of fifth place on seven-under with one round remaining.
In the team competition, Team Wolf with Christine Wolf, Laura Beveridge, Alexandra Swayne and amateur Raghdah Alessawi and Team Garcia with Nicole Garcia, Casandra Alexander, Tereza Melecka and amateur Sonia Bayahya finished tied at the top of the leader board at the conclusion of the 36-hole team event.
With both teams level on 29-under-par, they will playoff for victory at the conclusion of the third round tomorrow afternoon at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club.
-PTI
Manu Gandas defends his title at the Golconda Masters Golf Championship
Manu Gandas survived a scare on the final hole to defend his title with a four-day aggregate score of 23-under 257 in the IRA Telangana Golconda Masters golf championship at the HGA Golf Course (Golconda) in Hyderabad on Saturday.
Despite a double-bogey on the final hole, Manu finished two strokes ahead of second-placed Yuvraj Singh Sandhu.
By virtue of this show, Gurugram-based Manu Gandas (63-60-65-69) moved to the second position on the PGTI Order of Merit. Chandigarh’s Yuvraj Singh Sandhu (64-65-65-65) also moved up one spot and now tops the rankings.
Manu was richer by Rs 6 lakhs and the runner-up Yuvraj with Rs 4 lakhs and for the record both have won four times on the tour this year.
Manu displayed his steely resolve as he sank the 12-feet pressure putt to seal the title with a two-shot margin over Yuvraj. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Manu Gandas, the overnight leader by six shots, was well on course to the title till the 17th hole having led by four shots over Yuvraj Singh Sandhu. Manu’s excellent driving, approach shots and chipping earned him five birdies in exchange for two bogeys over 17 holes.
However, Gandas found the bunker with his drive on the 18th and then couldn’t get it out of the bunker with his second shot. He finally landed it just short of the green with his fourth shot and left himself a tricky 12-feet conversion for double-bogey after his chip.
Manu then displayed his steely resolve as he sank the 12-feet pressure putt to seal the title with a two-shot margin over Yuvraj.
“This tournament has a special place for me because this is where my breakthrough win came last year. It feels good and quite satisfying to have defended my title,” Gandas said later.
“For most part of the day, I played my own game, one shot at a time and focussed well. I was relieved after the last putt because I hadn’t played very smartly just prior to that and almost thrown it away,” he said.
Yuvraj Singh Sandhu posted six birdies and a bogey for the day’s best score of 65 in round four to end up as runner-up and continue his consistent run this season.
Bengaluru’s Syed Saqib Ahmed (70) took this place at 13-under 267. The Chandigarh duo of Jairaj Singh Sandhu (12-under 268) and Angad Cheema (11-under 269) finished fourth and fifth respectively.
The 17-year-old Milind Soni of Hyderabad won the trophy for the ‘best performing amateur’ as he tied for the 17th place at five-under 275 with two others teammates Mohd Azhar and Hardik Chawda.
-Team Sporstar
Chawrasia, Madappa tied 30th as five Indians make cut in Cairo
Viraj Madappa and S. S. P. Chawrasia were among five Indians who made the 36-hole cut at the USD 1.5 million International Series Egypt in Cairo. Madappa (67-70) and Chawrasia (68-69) were the best Indians at tied 30th.
The others to make the cut where Ajeetesh Sandhu (70-69) and S. Chikkarangappa (70-69), who were tied 46th, and Gaganjeet Bhullar (71-69) who was tied 61st. Karandeep Kochhar (73-68), Saptak Talwar (73-68), Veer Ahlawat (69-72), Honey Baisoya (70-72) and Aman Raj (72-71) missed the cut, which fell at even par.
Chawrasia, starting on the 10th, had just one birdie on the 18th and 17 pars, while Madappa had two birdies and two bogeys. Sandhu at 2-over with three holes left looked like he might miss the cut but then birdied his last three holes from seventh to ninth to ensure weekend action.
Bhullar, on the other, was well-placed but bogeys on fourth and eighth on his second nine made it tense for him but he made the cut on the line. Canadian Richard T. Lee moved into the lead on day two, bidding to make amends for letting victory slip from his grasp last Sunday.
He shot a five-under-par 65 at Madinaty Golf Club to go to 11 under for 36 holes. He leads by one from American Andy Ogletree, who carded a 64. American Sihwan Kim is a shot further back following a 66 at the Asian Tour’s first-ever visit to Egypt.
Two-time Japan Tour winner Jinichiro Kozuma is tied with Kim after shooting 64. Overnight leader Scott Hend from Australia had a disappointing day, shooting a 74 to sit seven off the pace.
Americans Jarin Todd (66) and Trevor Simsby (67), Australia’s Travis Smyth (67) and South African Jaco Ahlers (68) are three off the lead.
-PTI
Sharma starts well in second round at Nedbank as weather halts play
Johannesburg: India’s Shubhankar Sharma played just eight holes, hitting three birdies, in the second round when play was halted due to inclement weather at the Nedbank Golf Challenge on the DP World Tour here.
Sharma, who shot an even par 72 on the first day, was 2-under through eight holes with three birdies against one bogey when play was stopped. He was lying tied 17th at the point.
Luke Donald and Ryan Fox were two shots ahead of the field. The leading duo had only completed three holes with thunder and lightning in the immediate vicinity of the Gary Player Country Club.
Even when the lightning threat dissipated, heavy rain continued, leaving areas of the course waterlogged, and the decision was taken to suspend overnight.
European Ryder Cup captain Donald and overnight leader Fox both started the day brightly with birdies on the second hole. When the Kiwi bogeyed the third, both players were tied at eight under par when the klaxon sounded.
-PTI
TENNIS
Knoxville Challenger: Balaji, Nedunchezhiyan defeated
Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan were beaten 6-2, 6-3 by Martin Damm and Mitchell Krueger in the doubles semifinals of the $53,120 Challenger tennis tournament in Knoxville, USA.
The results:
$53,120 Challenger, Knoxville, USA
Doubles (semifinals): Martin Damm & Mitchell Krueger (USA) bt Sriram Balaji & Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan 6-2, 6-3.
- Team Sportstar
ITF men’s tournament: Rithvik Bollipalli/ Niki Poonacha beat top seeds Boris Butulija/Vishnu Vardhan in final
Rithvik Bollipalli and Niki Poonacha beat the top seeds Boris Butulija and Vishnu Vardhan 7-6(4), 6-3 in the doubles final of the $25,000 ITF men’s tennis tournament at the Indore Tennis Club on Saturday.
It was the third title in a row for the third seeded Indian pair which had won the titles in Tunisia and Delhi over the last fortnight.
The results:
Singles (semifinals): Oliver Crawford (USA bt Woobin Shin (Kor) 4-0 (retired); Dominik Palan (Cze) bt Jang Yunseok (Kor) 6-3, 6-2.
Doubles (final): Rithvik Bollipalli & Niki Poonacha bt Boris Butulija (Srb) & Vishnu Vardhan 7-6(4), 6-3.
-Kamesh Srinivasan
AITA National Series U-14: Samala thumps Diganth in final
Jalandhar: Showrya Samala outplayed his doubles partner and second seed M Diganth 6-0, 6-1 in the final of the AITA national series under-14 tennis tournament at the Singha Sports Academy on Saturday.
The results:
Under-14 boys (final): Showrya Samala bt M Diganth 6-0, 6-1.
- Team Sportstar
ATHLETICS
Priya takes 400m gold, Rezoana breaks 300m National record
Karnataka’s Priya H. Mohan, the Junior Worlds mixed relay medallist, won the under-20 women’s 400m gold while West Bengal’s Rezoana Mallick Heena broke the under-16 girls 300m national record at the 37 th National junior athletics championships in Guwahati on Saturday. Both are coached by Arjun Ajay in Bengaluru.
The results (gold medallists only):
Men: Under-20: 100m: Lalu Prasad Bhoi (Odi) 10.71s. 400m: Deepak Rohilla (Har) 47.59s. 10000m race walk: Bilin George Anto (Ker) 43:39.27s. Decathlon: Sunil Kumar (Har) 6595 pts.
Boys: Under-18: 100m: Dondapati M. Jayaram (Odi) 10.83s. 400m: Aman Chaudhary (Del) 47.56s.
Decathlon: K. Vethapriyan (TN) 5693 pts.
Under-16: 100m: Sangineni H. Vardhan (Tel) 11.21s. 300m: Shaik Azaruddin (Tel) 35.06s. Shot put: Ommkar P. Nanda (Odi) 18.34m. Hexathlon: R.C. Jithin Arjunan (TN) 3714 pts.
Under-14: High jump: Himanshu Kumar Singh (Jha) 1.77m. Long jump: Sourabh Kashma (Raj) 6.62m.
Women: Under-20: 100m: Bhawna (Har) 11.91s. 400m: Priya H Mohan (Kar) 53.94s. High jump: Khyati Mathur (UP) 1.79m MR, OR 1.77. 5000m race walk: Aarti (Har) 24:19.90s.
Girls: Under-18: 100m: S. Megha (Ker) 12.30s. 400m: Akanksha (Har) 55.87s. High jump: Pavana Nagaraj (Ka) 1.73m. Discus throw: Akhila Raju (Ker) 43.05m.
Under-16: 100m: Abinaya Rajarajan (TN) 12.26s. 300m: Rezoana M. Heena (WB) 38.57s NR, OR 40.11. Discus throw: Amanat Kamboj (Pun) 40.29m.
Under-14: Long Jump: Anmol (Har) 5.15m.
-Stan Rayan
