Indian sports wrap, July 15: Randhawa tied 7th in Swiss Senior; Jeev finishes tied 20th

 in action. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

SQUASH

Anahat, Bawa in World Junior squash quarters

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Anahat Singh advanced to the World Junior Squash Championships quarterfinals for the third straight year in Houston on Sunday.

The 16-year-old women’s National champion, seeded 5/8, beat Japan’s Akari Midorikawa (9/16) 11-6, 13-11, 11-2 in the fourth round and will take on Egypt’s Nadien Elhammamy (3/4) next.

Meanwhile, Shaurya Bawa (17/32) moved to the boys’ singles quarterfinals with a 11-9, 5-11, 11-5, 13-11 win over Segundo Portabales (17/32) of Argentina. The Indian will meet Malaysia’s Low Wa-Sern (17/32) in the last-eight stage.

This is the first time two Indians feature in the quarterfinals of the competition in the same year. 

– Team Sportstar

GOLF

Randhawa tied 7th in Swiss Senior; Jeev finishes tied 20th

Jyoti Randhawa ended a creditable tied seventh, while Jeev Milkha Singh signed off tied 20th after a roller-coaster final round in the Legends Tour’s Swiss Senior Open here.

Jarmo Sandelin of Sweden ended a long wait for his second Legends Tour win as he won the tournament with a final round of 67 and a total of 10-under 200.

Randhawa, playing his rookie season on the Tour for Over 50s in Europe, added a third round 69 to his first and second round efforts of 66-69 for a six-under total that fetched him a top-10 finish.

Randhawa had three birdies and two bogeys in his final round.

India’s other star in field, Jeev (69-72-68) was at two-under. Jeev had five birdies against three bogeys.

Former Ryder Cup player Sandelin’s only other win came in the 2019 MCB Tour Championship in Mauritius.

– PTI

Ahead of The Open, Sharma finishes T-39 at Genesis

Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma, warming up for the final Major of the season, finished T-39 at the Genesis Scottish Open here.

Sharma, who turns 28 on the final day of the 152nd Open on Sunday, was 8-under through 17 holes and almost inside the Top-10 when he triple bogeyed the 18th to card 5-under 65 and totalled 8-under 282 to finish T-39.

Scotsman Robert MacIntyre birdied the last to claim an emotional home victory and win his first Rolex Series title. He shot 67 and totalled 18-under for the week and was one clear of Adam Scott (67).

Indian-American Sahith Theegala carded a final round 69 and at 14-under, he was tied fourth with Aaron Rai, defending champion Rory McIlroy (68), overnight leader Ludvig Åberg, South Korea’s Sungjae Im (69) and American Collin Morikawa (69).

The home favourite produced a stunning finish 12 months ago at The Renaissance Club only to see McIlroy take the title but he would not be denied again in front of his adoring fans.

It was also his second PGA Tour win as the Scottish Open is co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour.

– PTI

Atwal finishes 67th in US

Indian golfer Arjun Atwal shot 7-over 77 on the final day to finish T-67 at the Kaulig Companies Championship, one of the Majors on the Senior Champions Tour in the United States.

Atwal had rounds of 74-71-73-77 as Ernie Els won his first Senior Major on the Champions.

Atwal made a terrible start from the 10th on a challenging final day. He had five bogeys and a double on his first nine and then had all pars in the rest of the nine holes at the Firestone Country Club’s South Course in Akron, Ohio.

Els, a winner of 19 PGA TOUR titles, including two U.S. Opens and two Open Championships, is enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame. But what was missing in his list was a Senior Major.

Els, who turns 55 in October, never had won a major championship among the over-50 golfers. He did that this week.

He had a bogey at the par-5 16th hole and then two strong closing pars. Els shot 2-under 68 on Sunday to finish at 10-under 270, edging YE Yang by a shot.

The victory was Els’ sixth on PGA TOUR Champions. He became the first player to get to three victories this season. The win took him to No. 1 in the season-long Charles Schwab Cup standings.

– PTI

Lahiri stumbles in final round, Garcia rallies to win play-off in Spain

The title slipped through Anirban Lahiri’s hands as the Indian was unable to hold on to his four-shot lead before being outwitted by seasoned local favourite Sergio Garcia in the play-offs to finish second at Liv Golf Andalucia here.

As Lahiri shot two-over 73 on the final day, Garcia, who started the day seven shots behind the Indian, carded five-under 66 and reached a five-under total for a play-off, which the Spaniard won.

Garcia started the day at even par, seven shots behind overnight leader Lahiri.

But the Spanish star played flawless golf for 17 holes, posting six birdies and applying pressure on Lahiri, who was trying to break his own winless drought of nine years.

While Garcia suffered his only bogey of the day with a three-putt at the par-three third to wrap up his five-under 66, Lahiri birdied the par-five 17th. That put the tournament in Lahiri’s hands going to the par-four 18th, the most difficult hole on the course this week.

Lahiri found the middle of the green with his approach shot and rolled his birdie attempt to three feet to set up the potential winning par.

But with a chance to win the individual title and secure the team title for the Crushers, he missed the putt for a final-round 73 to drop back to five under and set up the double playoff.

For Garcia, the script couldn’t have been written any better, as he won for the first time after three previous playoff losses.

For Lahiri, the winless run since his 2015 win at Hero Indian Open at home, continues despite close finishes in Liv golf.