GOLF
Sharma makes cut in Germany; Veer, Om Prakash miss
Shubhankar Sharma rose above an average season to move into the weekend rounds with cards of 73-72 at the European Open on Saturday.
At 1-under after 36 holes, Sharma is tied 38.
Sharma who shot three birdies and three bogeys in the first round had four birdies against three bogeys in the second at the Par-73 Porsche Nord Course at Green Eagle.
Meanwhile, Veer Ahlawat (79-70) and Om Prakash Chouhan (75-76) missed the cut.
It has been a modest season for Sharma, who has had just one top-10 finish with tied 7th at Singapore Classic and one top-20 finish with a tied 16th at Hero Indian.
Yet the Indian has made eight cuts in 11 starts in the 2023-24 season.
Laurie Canter will take a three-shot lead into the weekend after he posted a seven under par round of 66. There was a delay of three hours to round two tee times due to a flooded course but once play got under way, Canter climbed to the top of the leaderboard and has now set his sights on securing a maiden DP World Tour title.
Overnight leader Jannik De Bruyn and Dane Niklas Norgaard, who posted a five-under par round of 68, share second place on nine under par.
Englishman Garrick Porteous sits in fourth position on seven under par with four holes left in his second round as play was suspended due to insufficient light.
Defending champion Tom McKibbin, nine-time DP World Tour winner Pablo Larrazabal, Japan’s Yuto Katsuragawa, Italian Guido Migliozzi and Jayden Schaper of South Africa are a shot further back in the shared fifth place.
-PTI
Pranavi Urs moves into joint lead at Dormy Open
India’s Pranavi Urs continued her solid form on the Ladies European Tour, rising to the top of the leaderboard after the second round in the Dormy Open on Saturday.
Pranavi shares the lead with England’s Cara Gainer (65-71).
Pranavi, who had made every cut this season before withdrawing from last week’s Jabra Classic, shot 2-under 70 in the rain-hit first round and then added a bogey free 6-under 66 to go 8-under.
Playing in her 10th start, Pranavi shot her season’s best on LET, which bettered the 67s she shot in Lalla Meryem Cup and in Aramco Series Tampa. She has had two top-10s this year.
Only two Indian women have won on the Ladies European Tour. Aditi Ashok, who now plays on the LPGA, has five wins and Diksha Dagar, who is playing in Helsingborg this week, has won twice.
This year the Indian success has come from Tvesa Malik on the Sunshine Ladies Tour in South Africa.
Gainer had two birdies against one bogey in the second round.
Trailing the leading duo was Spain’s Mireia Prat who after a first 70 was 4-under through 16 holes to be 6-under.
Emily Pentilla of Finland (71-68) and Patricia Isabel Schmidt (71-68) at 5-under.
Among other Indians, Tvesa (70-71) was sure to make the cut and was tied 15. Diksha with 70 in the first round was yet to start her second round as the morning saw a lot of players complete their unfinished first rounds.
Vani Kapoor, who shot 71 in the first round, had a rough second round as she was 9-over through 15 holes and sure to miss the cut.
Pranavi, winner of the Hero Women’s Pro-Golf Order of Merit, started her second round from the first tee with Teresa Toscano and Sophie Witt.
She birdied four times on the front nine of the Allerum Golf Club and turned in 4-under.
On the back nine she birdies on the 12th and the 18th.
The highlight for Pranavi was that three of her six birdies came on the scoring Par-5s.
Earlier in the first round late on Friday, Pranavi was going strong at 3-under after her first nine holes on the back nine.
Then on her second nine, she dropped a double bogey on Par-5 first and another bogey on third.
She made up with birdies on the fifth and the seventh and finished with 70.
-PTI
Aditi Ashok makes cut at US Women’s Open
India’s Aditi Ashok shot 1-over 71 to move into the weekend rounds here at the US Women’s Open at Lancaster Golf Club. Putting alongside her 3-over 74 on the first day, Aditi was 4-over and tied-24 on the leaderboard.
Only four players were under par after 36 holes as scoring continued to remain tough.
Aditi had two birdies against three bogeys in the second round after having three birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey on the first day.
The world No 158, Wichanee Meechai from Thailand rose to the top as she followed her first 69 with a 67 and was 4-under.
Meechai, who has five professional wins globally, holds a two-shot lead at 4-under.
Andrea Lee was closest at 2-under overall after a 1-under 69 in the second round.
The 2021 and 2022 US Women’s Open champions, Yuka Saso and Minjee Lee respectively, were tied for third at 1-under. Lee shot a 1-under 69 in the second round to be tied with her good friend Saso.
Eight players were tied for fifth, including 2019 Women’s Open champion Hinako Shibuno and amateurs Asterisk Talley and Megan Schofill.
There were 75 players who made the cut on the number at 8-over.
Among the notables who miss the cut included No 1 Nelly Korda, two-time LPGA Tour winner Rose Zhang and defending champion Allisen Corpuz, as well as major champions Brooke Henderson and Patty Tavatanakit.
Lexi Thompson, an 18-time US Women’s Open participant will also miss playing the final 36 holes.
-PTI
