Zara Anand top Indian after Day 1 at Queen Sirikit Cup
Miyazaki: Zara Anand was the top Indian at Tied-12th after the first round of the Queen Sirikit Cup here in Japan. Zara, one of the most promising amateurs in India, shot 1-over 73 with three birdies against four bogeys in the round. Two of those bogeys came on the 14th and the 18th.
The other two Indians in the prestigious competition are Heena Kang (76) at T-21 and Mannat Brar (77), who had an off day and was T-25. Heena had two birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey while Mannat had two birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey.
The Indians as a team were lying tied-seventh with the two top individual scores giving them a total of 5-over 149.
Hosts Japan made an encouraging start in their quest to end a home jinx in the Queen Sirikit Cup. They progressed well with three-under-par 69s from Aira Nagasawa and Anna Iwanaga and went into the lead after the opening round of the 45th edition of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team Championship.
With an aggregate score of six-under 138 in the 13-nation event the Japanese will head into Wednesday's second round with a one-stroke lead from defending champions Korea.
There is then a four-shot gap back to Thailand in third on 143. They are followed by China (146), Hong Kong, China and Singapore (both 147), India and Vietnam (both 149), Australia and Indonesia (both 150), Chinese Taipei and Malaysia (both 151) and the Philippines (158).
In the individual standings, Nagasawa and Iwanaga were joined at the top of the leaderboard by Korean Oh Soo-min, 10th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and bidding to retain the low individual award she claimed in New Zealand last year.
Several of the pre-event favourites struggled to find their range. There were 75s from Zhou Shiyuan and Xu Ying, both of whom boast victories on the China LPGA Tour, and 76s for Thai Achiraya Sriwong and Japan's Mamika Shinchi, both in the top-50 in the WAGR.
Australian Sarah Hammett, the individual runner-up last year, signed for an 83, which included a triple-bogey eight at the par-five 16th.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
32 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Not saying this is my last Classical event: Carlsen after title win
STAVANGER (Norway): Minutes after surviving a final day thriller to stand top of the leaderboard, Magnus Carlsen was coy when asked if he would continue playing Classical chess. 'It's a huge relief after a day like this and in a tournament like this," he told TakeTakeTake. "My struggles have been well documented here. At least I fought till the end, I'm happy with that." Asked if he was going to keep playing classical chess, Carlsen said: 'Not a lot for sure. I'm not going to say this tournament was my last. I enjoy other forms of chess more.' How he prevailed to pocket his seventh Norway Chess title may be made into a movie in time. On a day of high drama, Carlsen and Gukesh, separated by 0.5 points before the last and final round on Friday, were under pressure for vast swathes of their respective games against Arjun Erigaisi and Fabiano Caruana respectively. Gukesh knew he could ill afford a loss as he was trailing. So, he soldiered on, even in an almost lost position. But he knew he could win the tournament because Erigaisi had put the World No. 1 under tremendous pressure for over three hours and change. But once Erigaisi made small inaccuracies, the Norwegian suddenly engineered big counter play chances for himself. When he had the one winning move staring at him in the endgame, he didn't find it. The eval bar restored parity and they repeated their moves three times, signalling a draw. The 34-year-old, who has time and again said that he finds Classical chess a chore, would have likely pushed on for a win if the Indian world champion, Gukesh, was not in a terrible position. But moments after Carlsen and Erigaisi called truce, Caruana blundered and Gukesh had chances of winning the tournament. But under severe time pressure and having defended so resolutely for so long, he jumped at the chance of queening his d pawn rather than holding on to his position. Once he queened, the US player pressed his knight into service to set up a deadly fork. It was game over. The 19-year-old knew the game was up with seconds left on the clock. The defeat in Classical also means that Gukesh will finish third in the standings, a mixed bag of a tournament.
New Indian Express
32 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Norway Chess: Late blow for Gukesh as Carlsen triumphs
STAVANGER: Magnus Carlsen is the Norway Chess champion for a seventh time after D Gukesh made a big blunder at the end of his game against Fabiano Caruana. On a day of high drama, Carlsen and Gukesh, separated by 0.5 points before the last and final round on Friday, were under pressure for large parts of their respective games against Arjun Erigaisi and Caruana respectively. Gukesh knew he could ill-afford a loss as he was trailing. So, he soldiered on, even in an almost lost position. But he knew he could win the tournament because Erigaisi had put the World No 1 under tremendous pressure for over three hours and change. But once Erigaisi made small inaccuracies, the Norwegian suddenly engineered big counter play chances for himself. When he had the one winning move stating at him in the endgame, he didn't find it. The eval bar restored parity and they repeated their moves three times, signalling a draw. The 34-year-old, who has time and again said that he finds Classical chess a chore, would have likely pushed on for a win if the Indian world champion, Gukesh, was not in a terrible position. But moments after Carlsen and Erigaisi called truce, Caruana blundered and Gukesh had chances of winning the tournament. But under severe time pressure and having defended so resolutely for so long, he jumped at the chance of queening his d pawn rather than holding on to his position. Once he queened, the US player pressed his knight into service to set up a deadly fork. It was game over. The 19-year-old knew the game was up and seconds left on the clock. The defeat in Classical also means that Gukesh will finish third in the standings, a mixed bag of a tournament.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
KL Rahul century powers India A to strong start vs England Lions in Northampton
India A got off to a commanding start in the second unofficial Test against England Lions at Northampton, riding on a composed and classy century from senior India batter KL Rahul. Making a return to red-ball cricket after injury setbacks, Rahul's innings was not just crucial for India A's position in the match but also a promising sign for the senior Indian side ahead of their high-stakes five-match Test series against England later this was cautious in the early stages of his knock, showing discipline in shot selection and letting the ball come to him. Batting under overcast skies and against a fresh England Lions pace attack, he took his time — reaching his half-century in 102 balls. But once settled, Rahul made a switch in his approach and went into attack mode, but with remarkable control. Growing in confidence and playing a range of crisp shots, including his trademark cover drives, - he brought up his century in 151 Lions vs India A, 2nd unofficial Test: Highlights His innings played a stabilising role after India A lost two early wickets — Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhimanyu Easwaran — both LBW to Chris Woakes in the first 11 overs. Rahul first stitched a steady 86-run stand with Karun Nair, who has been in fine form himself. Nair, who scored a double century in the first unofficial Test in Canterbury, looked solid before being trapped LBW by then built on that platform with Dhruv Jurel, who added an impressive 52 off 87 deliveries. Their 121-run partnership ensured India A kept control through the middle session. Even after Rahul's dismissal, Nitish Kumar Reddy added a handy 34 runs to take India A to a strong position by Woakes was the pick of the bowlers for the Lions, finishing with 3/50, while George Hill claimed two wickets. India A will resume Day 2 with Tanush Kotian and Anshul Kamboj at the crease.
