Sunit jumps into lead with a gritty 70
NUH,HARYANA: Young Sunit Chowrasia, looking to build on a highly satisfactory rookie season last year, edged ahead with a gritty two-under 70 in brutal conditions on day three of the PGTI Players Championship at the Classic Golf & Country Club on Thursday. The 24-year-old Kolkata-based Sunit established a one-shot lead at 11-under-205.
Ahmedabad’s Udayan Mane kept himself in the game with a 71 to be placed second, one off the lead. Indian star Shubhankar Sharma (69) was also in hot pursuit, two behind the lead in tied third. Gurugram-based 22-yearolds, Veer Ahlawat (67) and Manu Gandas (70), were also tied for third. Ahlawat fired the day’s best score of five-under-67.
“The conditions weren’t easy to score so I’m delighted to have shot a steady two-under. I missed a few short putts today but more than made up with some outstanding approach shots and solid wedge-play,” Chowrasia said.
CHAWRASIA MAKES BRIGHT START
PERTH: India’s SSP Chawrasia turned in a bogey-free round after a long time as he carded four-under 68 to be placed tied fifth at the end of the first day of the ISPS HANDA World Super 6 Perth golf tournament here on Thursday. Chawrasia started from the back nine and bogeyed twice in each of the halves at the Lake Karrinyup Country Club.
He was the best Indian from among the six who have teed off this week at this unique event, which combines stroke play with matchplay.
Ajeetesh Sandhu (71) was tied 36th while Shiv Kapur, Khalin Joshi and S Chikkarangappa were all tied at 76th spot with scores of 73 each. Viraj Madappa trailed further with 74.
GAURIKA TAKES LEAD
AHMEDABAD: Golfer Gaurika Bishnoi displayed a lot of consistency to card a second successive under par round to take a three-shot lead into the final round of the fourth leg of the Hero women’s Pro Tour at the Kalhaar Blues’ Greens, here on Thursday.
Gaurika added a second straight 71 to move to two-under 142 and three ahead of Ridhima Dilawari, who carded one-over 73 in the round for a total of 145.
AMIT GETS BYE
NEWDELHI: Asian Games gold medallist Amit Panghal (49kg) got a first-round bye into the quarterfinals of the 70th Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria on Thursday. He will face Ukraine’s Nazar Kurotchyn in the last-eight stage on Sunday.
MOURINHO’S PAY-OFF
LONDON: Manchester United revealed on Thursday that sacking Jose Mourinho cost the club nearly 20 million pounds. The sum of 19.6 million pounds (USD 25 million) which is listed under “exceptional items” in the club’s second-quarter results, includes pay-outs for the members of Mourinho’s staff.
NATIONAL RANKING ARCHERY
BHOPAL: New Delhi will host the National Ranking Archery tournament from April 15 to 19, ahead of the first stage of the World Cup in Medellin, Colombia the same month. The Archery Association of India will field cadet archers for the World Ranking Championship in Dhaka this month, while the juniors will compete in the Asia Cup in Bangkok next month.
DE GOEDE, VAN DOREN NAMED BEST PLAYERS
NEW DELHI: Belgian Arthur van Doren and Dutch Eva de Goede were on Thursday named the male and female Players of the Year, respectively, by the international hockey federation (FIH). With Netherlands head coach Alyson Annan being named Female Coach of the Year for a second year in succession, it was very much a double celebration for the Dutch contingent. Belgium’s World Cup-winning head coach Shane Mcleod was named Male Coach of the Year.