GOLF
Aditi shoots 69, logs fifth Top-10 of the year on LPGA
Aditi Ashok carded a fine two-under 69 in the final round of the Dana Open to add yet another Top-10 finish to her tally in a season that has been going great guns for the Indian golfer.
Unable to find a birdie in the first 10 holes of the final round, which had one bogey on the second, Aditi gathered birdies on 11th, 16th and 18th and rose to Tied-seventh for her fifth Top-10 finish of the season so far.
Though she missed only two of the 14 fairway, Aditi managed only 12 of the 18 greens in regulation, yet she putted superbly with 28 putts for the round for a card of 69 that gave her a total of 12-under for the four rounds.
It was a superb week for Aditi, who is still some way off her best. She had 13 birdies and an eagle and just one bogey and one double the entire week, indicating a lot of consistency.
She was, however, not able to show the same consistency at the Majors so far, but will have a chance to make up at the Evian and the Open.
Aditi is currently ranked 22nd on the Race to CME Globe, the Order of Merit for LPGA.
Sweden’s Linn Grant, who was in the running for a sub-60 round, won her first LPGA Tour title. She handled a charge from US Women’s Open champion Allisen Corpuz and closed with a three-under 68 for a three-shot victory at the Dana Open.
The 24-year-old Grant has five victories on the Ladies European Tour — including a historic nine-shot win last year against a field of men and women in the Scandinavian Mixed.
She earned LPGA membership starting last season, but did not play in the US until this year, when the US dropped its COVID-19 vaccination requirement for foreigners. The Swede did not disclose her reasons for remaining unvaccinated. With a LPGA win she is now set for the Tour in the US.
Grant entered the final day with a six-shot lead after a 62 in the third round. She parred her first seven holes, chipped in for birdie from behind the green on the par-3 eighth, and still led by six at the turn.
But Corpuz, a week after she won at Pebble Beach for her first LPGA title, made it interesting with birdies on four of the last five holes to shoot 65 and get within two shots.
Grant saved par on the par-4 16th and finished with a birdie on the par-5 18th, reaching the green in two with a 3-wood that she didn’t think she could get there. Her four-day total at Highland Meadows was 21-under 263.
Lindy Duncan also closed with a 65 and was alone in third, six shots back. Xiyu Janet Lin (67) and Stephanie Kyriacou (69) were another shot behind. Kyriacou played in the final group and had her best LPGA finish.
- PTI
Diksha finishes 36th, but stays in Top-5 of European rankings, Korda wins title
Indian golfer Diksha Dagar, who recovered smartly to make the cut at the Aramco Series London, added an even par 73 in the final round to finish tied 36th at the par-73 Centurion Golf Club here.
Diksha shot 78 in the first round and then managed 74 in the second before finally closing with an eventful 73 to finish with a total of six-over. A tied 36th finish helped her to maintain the fifth place on the Race to Costa Del Sol Order of Merit rankings on the Ladies European Tour.
Diksha had four birdies against two bogeys and a double bogey. The double and one of the bogeys came on the front nine, which was her second nine. She bogeyed the sixth and dropped a double on seventh. Her birdies came at 13th, 18th, second and fourth. She also dropped a bogey on 16th hole.
After a modest start to the season, Diksha turned it around with a win at Czech Ladies Open and has risen to the fifth place on the rankings in Europe. She will also play the Evian Championships and the Open, both of which are Majors for women.
Nelly Korda produced a dominant display to win the Individual title. Korda, the world number two had led from the first day and had a five-shot lead coming into the final round at Centurion Club.
The Olympic champion began the day with a birdie on the first but soon dropped a shot on the sixth and was back to even par for the round.
However, she soon moved into the red once again with a birdie on the 12th before she rolled in a birdie at the last to seal a round of 71 (-2) and win with a total of 11-under-par.
England’s Charley Hull finished in second place on seven-under-par after firing a round of 68 (-5) on the final day. The three-time LET winner rolled in three birdies in four holes on the front nine but dropped a shot on the ninth to make the turn in 35 (-2).
South Africa’s Nicole Garcia finished in third place on five-under-par after a final round of 72 (-1) which included three birdies and two bogeys. Ireland’s Leona Maguire produced a final round of 70 (-3) to finish in outright fourth place on three-under-par with England’s Georgia Hall one shot further back in fifth place.
Team Hall was declared team champions earlier.
In the 2023 Race to Costa del Sol, the standings in the top 10 have not changed with Spain’s Ana Peláez Triviño still leading the way ahead of India’s Aditi Ashok, Czechia’s Klara Davidson Spilkova and Sweden’s Linn Grant.
- PTI
TENNIS
ATP 250 Newport: Sasikumar beats Turkey’s Celikbilek to make main draw
Mukund Sasikumar beat Altug Celikbilek of Turkey 7-5, 6-3 in the second and final qualifying round to make the main draw of the $718,245 ATP tennis tournament on grass in Newport, USA.
In the main draw, Mukund will play wild card Ethan Quinn of the USA, whom he had beaten on way to the quarterfinals of the Bloomfield Hills Challenger.
The results
-Team Sportstar
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