Indian sports wrap, January 25: Sandhu, Chawrasia and Rashid make cut in Manila
Indian sports wrap, January 25: Sandhu, Chawrasia and Rashid make cut in Manila
Ajeetesh Sandhu was the best of the three Indians to make the cut at the USD 500,000 Smart Infinity Philippine Open golf tournament, the season-opening event of the 2025 Asian Tour in Manila on Saturday.
Sandhu added 71 to his first two rounds of 67-70 to reach 2-under for 54 holes and was Tied-26th.
The other two Indians making the cut were SSP Chawrasia (69-73-67) at 1-under and was T-37, while Rashid Khan (70-72-69) was 1-over and T-49.
Sandhu dropped a bogey on the first hole but birdied the fifth and the seventh. There was another setback with a double bogey on Par-4 11th, and he then he birdied the 14th.
However he gave that shot back on the very next hole.
Yuvraj Sandhu and Rahil Gangjee had earlier missed the cut.
Japan’s Tomoya Ikemura fired his third straight round in the 60s to get to 8-under and one shot ahead of Sadom Kaewkanjana (65-66-72) at 7-under.
Sadom birdied two of his last three holes to extend his 36-hole lead to three shots at the halfway stage but dropped five shots between the fifth and the ninth on the front nine in the third round. He did make up with four birdies against one bogey on the back nine for a 72.
Five players Bjorn Hellgren, Julien Sale, Xiao Bowen, Kevin Yuan and Danthai Boonma share the third place at 6-under.
– PTI
India’s Veer Ahlawat made his first cut on the DP World Tour after carding a fine three-under 69 in the second round of Ras Al Khaimah Championship.
The 28-year-old, who topped the PGTI Order of Merit in 2024 to earn a card onto the DPWT as per the alliance between the Tours, moved into the weekend rounds at a creditable five-under and was Tied-15th.
India’s other DPWT member Shubhankar Sharma also shot 69 on the second day, but his first round 75 cost him heavy as he missed the second straight cut this season.
Ahlawat had finished Tied-second at the Hero Indian Open at his home course, the DLF Golf and Country Club, a year ago, but he was not a member of the DPWT. He chose to focus on the PGTI and earned a passage into the bigger Tour.
Ahlawat dropped a shot early in the second round, but picked four birdies after that for a 69. He birdied the third seventh, eighth and the 15th.
Last week Ahlawat and Sharma missed the cut in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.
Marcus Armitage birdied his final two holes to remain in control of the Ras Al Khaimah Championship at the halfway stage.
The Englishman, who opened with a blistering nine-under par first round, followed that with a three-under par effort to reach 12-under on day two.
He goes into the final two rounds with a two-stroke advantage over countryman Dan Brown and Spain’s Alejandro del Rey at Al Hamra Golf Club.
Armitage birdied the third and fourth holes to overtake Brown and del Rey, who had set the target at 10-under, but sandwiched another birdie with bogeys at the seventh and ninth.
The 37-year-old dropped another shot at the par four 12th but steadied himself with a pair of pars before launching an assault on the final few holes.
The 2021 Porsche European Open champion converted from 23 feet on the par three 15th to return to double figures, before birdieing the final two holes for the second day in a row – and in style.
After missing the green at the 17th, he chipped in for birdie from the greenside rough before the almost holing his third shot from 99 yards at the par five 18th, leaving the simplest of tap ins to secure a round of 69.
Brown’s eight-under round of 64 was the best of the day and matched only by American Johannes Veerman who climbed 42 places to fourth.
Five players shared the fifth place at seven-under, including China’s Li Haotong and Dane Hamish Brown, who both posted seven under rounds of 65.
Englishman Daniel Gavins, the 2023 winner of the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, made more great memories at Al Hamra Golf Club, carding the second hole-in-one of his career at the par three seventh hole.
– PTI
