GOLF
Aditi closes with birdies on last two to make cut
India’s Aditi Ashok produced a birdie-birdie finish in the second round to stay on for weekend action at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol here.
Aditi, who shot 75 in the first round, went back further as she was two-over through 16 holes in the second round with the cut looking likely at three-over or four-over.
Aditi, who is playing her 24th Major, birdied the two closing Par-5s and ensured action over the weekend. The cut ultimately fell at five-over and Aditi at three-over is tied-41st.
Overall 79 players made the cut.
- PTI
Gandas makes cut in Germany; Shubhankar misses out
Manu Gandas slipped in the second round at the BMW International Open as he carded 2-over 74 but still managed to make the halfway cut. Gandas, with 69-74, was one-under for 36 holes and tied-41st.
Shubhankar Sharma was unable to survive the cut following rounds of 75 and 73 as the cut fell at one-over.
Gandas, who earned playing rights on the DP World Tour by topping the PGT India Tour in 2022, has been having mixed results this season. Faced with new courses each week, Gandas has often struggled but in between he has shown sparks that augur well for the future.
In his second round, Gandas had one birdie on the ninth and three bogeys.
Daniel Hillier posted a five-under-par round of 67 to grasp the 36-hole lead at the BMW International Open. The Kiwi carded a blemish-free second round to reach nine-under par and set the pace at the top of the leaderboard, one shot clear of Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, who is making his DP World Tour debut this week.
- PTI
Chikka 28th at Korea Open, two Indians make cut
India’s S Chikkarangappa carded six-over 75 to slip to Tied-28th after the third round of the Kolon Korea Open at the Woo Jeong Hills Country Club here on Saturday.
Chikka (69-73-75), who began the week with a two-under 69 to be in Top-5 after the first day, is one of the two Indians to make the cut out of the five golfers who started the tournament.
The other one is Honey Baisoya (73-72-75) at 7-over and Tied-41st.
Meanwhile, Seungsu Han continued his impressive run shooting a one-over-par 72 for a six-under-par tournament total, to maintain the lead for the third day in a row.
The Indians who missed the cut were Viraj Madappa (74-76), SSP Chawrasia (74-76), Karandeep Kochhar (80-71), Ajeetesh Sandhu (77-76) and Rahil Gangjee (76-77).
Leader Han has a one-shot advantage over fellow Korean Jaekyeong Lee on a hot and sunny day on the stunning but exacting Woo Jeong Hills track.
Lee carded a 70 in what was a two-horse race all day, with Australian Junseok Lee (68) and Ian Snyman from South Africa (72) the next best placed, tied for third, four back from Han.
Only six players are under par after three rounds at the event, which is part of The Open Qualifying Series.
- PTI
Diksha builds 5-shot lead, Pranavi lands two eagles on front 9 in Czech Ladies
Diksha Dagar produced a stunning bogey free 7-under 65 to build a five-shot lead after two rounds in the Czech Ladies Open here.
Diksha moved to 10-under 134 with rounds of 69 and 65 as was five clear of Spain’s Ana Pelaez Trivino (70) and English duo of Cara Gainer (68) and Gabriela Cowley (67), who were now 5-under 139 with one more round to go.
Diksha, who won the Women’s South African Open in 2019, is seeking her second title on the Ladies European Tour. A win for her will mean a second LET win for Indians, as Aditi Ashok earlier in the season won the Kenya Ladies Open.
Another Indian, Pranavi Urs, who like Diksha did well on her home Tour — the WPG Tour earlier — had two eagles on the front nine after starting late in the second round.
Pranavi was 5-under for the front nine despite a bogey. Pranavi eagled the Par-5s on the fifth and seventh and added a birdie on the third and ninth while dropping a shot on Par-3 fourth. At 5-under through 27 holes, Pranavi was Tied-15th.
Additionally, yet to finish their second round was Ridhima Dilawari, who after a first-round 74 was even through 15 holes in the second to 2-over for the tournament with three holes left and was tied-53rd.
Amandeep Drall (74-76) and Vani Kapoor (76 and 20-over through 10 in the second) looked likely to miss the cut.
- PTI
TENNIS
Ramkumar and Margaroli lose Challenger final
Second seeds Jonathan Eysseric and Miguel Angel Reyes-Varela beat Ramkumar Ramanathan and Luca Margaroli 6-2, 6-3 in the doubles final of the €145,000 Challenger tennis tournament in Montechiarugolo, Italy, on Saturday.
The champion team won 125 ATP points and €8,420. The Indo-Swiss team collected 75 points and €4,900.
In the ITF tournament in Jakarta, Siddhant Banthia and Nitin Kumar Sinha were beaten 6-4, 6-3 in the doubles final by Justin Barki and Thiemo De Bakker.
THE RESULTS
- Kamesh Srinivasan
MOTORSPORT
Kavin Quintal finishes at 18th spot in Race 1 of ARRC 2023 in Japan
IDEMITSU Honda Racing India team’s rider Kavin Samaar Quintal finished at the 18th spot in Race 1 of FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) at the Sportsland SUGO circuit here on Saturday.
Keeping calm and maintaining his pace, the young lad from Chennai clocked a total lap time of 20:52.959, with his best lap recorded at 1:42.481.
-PTI
HANDBALL
Maharashtra Ironmen storm into PHL finals
Maharashtra Ironmen became the first team to book their spot in the finals of the Premier Handball League as they defeated Rajasthan Patriots 38-28 in the semifinals here on Saturday.
Ironmen will either face the Telugu Talons or the Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh.
Igor Chiseliov was the top scorer for the Maharashtra Ironmen in this game with 10 goals and had taken his goal tally for the season to 87 by the end of the game to reclaim the top spot in the scoring charts.
Amninder Singh was the top scorer for the Rajasthan Patriots in this game with 7 goals. Igor Chisleiov was adjudged the most valuable player of the match.
-PTI
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