Golf: Avani Prashanth finishes creditable T5 in LET event
It was slightly bittersweet in the end for the teen from Bengaluru who played excellent golf across the first three rounds to card 68-69-69, but a final day 3-over 75 as part of the lead group pulled her down from pole position.
This though was Avani's best finish as a professional – she had tied-5th and lower finishes as an amateur at the Hero Women's Indian Open – after turning pro last October and earning her LET card for this season in December.
The last round blip notwithstanding, the overall performance in Belgium has only boosted the belief of India's previously top ranked amateur woman golfer that she has it in her to compete among the pros and fight for bigger things.
'It's my first one (top-5 finish) as a professional, so of course I'm really happy with this,' Avani told HT after the final round. 'It's just a reassurance that I know I can compete and beat the best.'
Avani certainly flaunted that mindset on Saturday, securing four birdies on a windy course to lead the field by one shot after the third round. Looking ahead to the final round, Avani had spoken of 'some nerves' and her love for playing 'under pressure' and while 'chasing'. Being chased on the final round, therefore, was slightly different territory for her.
She began with a couple of bogeys and could never really bounce back from that stutter. The youngster also bogeyed the par-five 9th to slip further. A birdie on the par-5 13th lifted her but a bogey on the 18th after a wayward tee shot saw her sign off with a 3-over 75. Avani finished tied-5th with Lauren Walsh of Ireland on 7-under 281, having started the round on 11-under.
Darcey Harry, 22, of Wales, shot an excellent final round 68 to win her first LET title at 13-under 275.
Avani, the first Indian to win the Queen Sirikit Cup and who played in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games at 17, was gutted about the final round, yet pleased about her overall tournament.
'It's been a great week, but I expected it to end a lot better than it did,' she said. 'I played some great golf over the past three days, so really, besides the final round, I have no complaints.'
Diksha Dagar finished tied-23rd (1-under 287) while Tvesa Malik was tied-48th (5-over 293).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
7 minutes ago
- Indian Express
R Ashwin on Tim David: ‘I shouldn't say this…told the decision makers of a few IPL teams to pick him'
Australian power-hitter Tim David has been in sublime form in T20Is. In the Caribbean, he managed to pull off a blistering ton, and in the first T20I against South Africa in Darwin, he pulled Australia out of trouble by scoring a substantial 83-run innings, which helped his team win the game. Earlier in the year, David was also part of the Indian Premier League-winning side Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Coming down the order, David played crucial knocks throughout the season and helped RCB nick off close games. Former Indian off-spinner R Ashwin claimed that he did flag a few franchises about David. 'I shouldn't say this, but I told the decision makers of a few IPL teams to pick him before the last auction. They all said, 'No, his game has dropped off drastically.' I believe the future of T20 cricket is going to be having tall batters with long levers and strong build. They are going to rule the roost if there are no changes brought to the wide line,' Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. 'A player RCB picked up at base price (₹3 crore) has taken his game to the next level. It's good to see Australia sending him up the order. A real steal for RCB,' Ashwin added. Intriguingly, David was seen wielding an SS Ton blade marked in the name of West Indies colossus Andre Russell who retired from international cricket after the previous T20I between the sides. 'I've spent a lot of time working on power hitting, but now I'm working on my shot selection. I've been carrying that Dre Russ bat around for a year, and it felt like it was the best time to use it,' David said at the post-match presentation ceremony after century in West Indies in the 3rd T20I. 'Was just having a great time in the middle playing for Australia. It was nice to have a period at home and get my body right. I didn't think I would get the opportunity to get a hundred for Australia, so I'm stoked,' David added.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
7 minutes ago
- First Post
Pathan makes stunning U-turn after supporting Rohit during viral interview in Australia: ‘If he was not captain...'
Irfan Pathan also opened up on his viral interview of Rohit Sharma on the official broadcaster during the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney, insisting that he was being polite to the star cricketer who had opted to sit out of the series finale after a horrendous run with the bat. Irfan Pathan felt that Rohit Sharma would have been dropped from the Indian Test team ahead of the tour of Australia had he not been captain. Image: AP/PTI Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan claims that he was being polite to Rohit Sharma in an interview during the tour of Australia, adding that the 'Hitman' would not have even retained his place in the playing XI had he not been captain at the time. Rohit had been having a horrid run in Test cricket after leading the Men in Blue to victory in the T20 World Cup, whether against Bangladesh and New Zealand at home or in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. And after skipping the first Test against Australia in Perth, Rohit could manage just 31 runs in the next three games at miserable average of 6.2. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Rohit later opted out of the fifth Test in Sydney, handing the reins back to star pacer Jasprit Bumrah who had captained the side to a 295-run victory in the tour opener. However, in a defiant interview with the broadcasters conducted by Pathan, Rohit maintained that he was not done with the Test format yet. 'You have invited him, so you will behave politely' 'Rohit Sharma is an amazing player in white-ball cricket, but his average in Test cricket that year was 6, so we said that if he was not the captain, he would not have had a place in the team, and this is true,' Pathan told Lallantop. 'People say that we supported Rohit Sharma more than necessary. Of course, when someone comes to interview on your broadcasting channel, you will not misbehave with them, right? You have invited him, so you will behave politely. 'When Rohit came to interview, we were, of course, polite, and we had to show that, because he was our guest. So that was connected and said we were supporting him, but it was we who said… we had said that he should keep fighting, but that said, he should not have had a place in the playing XI. If he was not the captain of the team, he would have been dropped,' the former pacer added. Despite expressing his desire to lead the side in the tour of England, Rohit would announce his retirement from Test cricket in May, with batting icon and former captain Virat Kohli following suit just a few days later. The tour of Australia, where India surrendered the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in nearly a decade, turned out to be the final appearance in whites for both stalwarts, who currently remain active only in One-Day Internationals. It also marked the final appearance in an Indian kit for spin legend Ravichandran Ashwin, who retired from all forms of international cricket midway during the tour. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Hindustan Times
7 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Arjun Tendulkar's engagement to Saaniya Chandhok links sports royalty with ice cream kings; here's his new family tree
It seems wedding bells are ringing in the Tendulkar household! Arjun Tendulkar — the 25-year-old son of Indian cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar — has reportedly gotten engaged in a hush-hush ceremony attended only by close friends and family. And the lucky bride-to-be? None other than Saaniya Chandhok, a businesswoman with deep roots in Mumbai's hospitality scene. Arjun Tendulkar and Saaniya Chandhok Saaniya Chandhok, Arjun Tendulkar and sister Sara Tendulkar While Arjun is best known for his cricketing career — representing Goa in domestic tournaments and turning out for Mumbai Indians in the IPL — Saaniya has been making her own mark as Designated Partner and Director at Mr. Paws Pet Spa & Store LLP, a Mumbai-based pet nutrition and welfare company. According to her Instagram, she also graduated from the London School of Economics. A look into Saaniya's crème de la crème family tree But that's just the beginning. Saaniya is the granddaughter of Ravi Ghai, one of Mumbai's most prominent businessmen and chairman of the Graviss Group — a 70-year-old empire with an impressive portfolio. If you've ever licked a Kwality chocobar on a summer day or walked past the InterContinental Hotel on Marine Drive, you've seen the Ghai legacy in action. The Graviss Group also owns The Brooklyn Creamery, because obviously, ice cream runs in the family's veins. Ravi Ghai Allegedly, the Ghai business story began with Iqbal Krishen 'IK' Ghai — known as the 'Maharajah of Ice Cream' — who started serving homemade treats to American troops during World War II. This grew into Kwality Ice Cream, which became a childhood staple for millions of Indians. Ravi Ghai, armed with a degree from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, took over the reins in 1967 and expanded the brand's reach internationally. Today, his son Gaurav Ghai leads the group. About Arjun Tendulkar As for Arjun, cricket clearly keeps him busy. His net worth is pegged at around ₹22 crore, with earnings split between domestic cricket (about ₹10 lakh a year) and the IPL, where the Mumbai Indians signed him in 2021 for ₹20 lakh and renewed in 2022 for ₹30 lakh. Over five years, he's earned ₹1.4 crore from the league alone. Neither the Tendulkars nor the Ghais have commented on the engagement, but the quiet celebrations fit perfectly with their preference for keeping personal milestones away from the limelight.
