Aditi makes cut in US, Lahiri misses; Sandhu tied-39th in China

Charlotte (US), May 4 

Two late birdies on the 15th and 16th holes helped Aditi Ashok make the cut and get a chance to turn her fortunes around at the LPGA Mediheal Championship. She added a 1-over 73 to her first round 74 to get to a 3-over 147 and make the weekend rounds on the cut line at the tough Lake Merced course. 

Aditi was 3-over for the day and 5-over for the tournament with four holes left and she was staring at another weekend without golf. But she pulled out two birdies on the 15th and 16th to get to 3-over and make the cut. So Yeon Ryu shot a 2-under 70 to take a 1-stroke lead over fellow South Korean player Sei Young Kim and American Ryann O’Toole.

Lahiri shoots 1-under, but misses cut; Dufner leads

Charlotte (US): Anirban Lahiri’s disappointing run continued as he missed the cut at the Wells Fargo Championship. He followed up his first round 79 with a 71 to be six-over for 36 holes, thus missing action for another weekend.

Lahiri hit 13 of 18 greens in regulation during his second round, better than the first day. But the first day’s high score of 79 damaged his cause as the cut fell at one-over. Lahiri had four birdies and three bogeys in his 1-under 71, but it was little too late to keep him for final two rounds.

Jason Dufner moved into the lead at 11-under following a 9-under 63 in the second round. It is the first time he has a 36-hole lead since the 2017 Memorial. Lying in second place is Joel Dahmen at 10-under, and Rory McIlroy is in 3rd at 7-under. 

McIlroy, playing on the other end of the course, was with Dufner until he dropped three shots over the last two holes. McIlroy made a double bogey at No. 8, then went over the green on No. 9 for a bogey to end up with a 70. He is five behind the leader and in the mix for a third title at Quail Hollow.

Dufner fell from world No. 41 to No. 124 and missed the cut 11 times. Then he changed four caddies. He is also on his fourth or fifth putter. It was the first time he shot 63 since Oak Hill in 2013, the year he won the PGA Championship. 

Diksha finishes tied-20th 

Dubai: Diksha Dagar finished tied-20th at the Omega Dubai Moonlight Classic after she was set for a top-15 finish at one stage. Diksha was sitting at 4-under through 15 holes before she ran into two bogeys on the 16th and the closing 18th to finish the final round in a 2-under 70. She finished at a 1-over 217 in three rounds. Dagar birdied the second, third, fifth and 10th holes and was bogey-free for the first 15 holes before she dropped shots on the 16 and 18, both of which she had parred the past two days. 

Spaniard Nuria Iturrios grabbed the second title of the season. Nuria, who won the Lalla Meryem Cup, won with rounds of 67, 68 and 71. She totalled a 10-under 206. — Agencies

Khalin tied-65th

Shenzhen (China): Khalin Joshi had a steep fall in the third round after he shot a 6-over 78 to slip from tied-23rd to tied-65th after the third round of the Volvo China Open. SSP Chawrasia (72) was tied-59, but the best Indian was Ajeetesh Sandhu (69) at tied-39th. France’s Benjamin Hebert stunned the crowd with a sparkling 8-under 64 to snatch the lead, taking along a 3-shot cushion into the final round. — PTI