Sport - Golf

Saini leads combined field

Coimbatore: Despite a round of 80, Kolkata’s Ashbeer Singh Saini, doing the duties in Category ‘B’ (13-14 years), led the combined field (‘A’ & ‘B’) with a three-round tally of 231 after 54 holes in the Lalit Suri junior golf tournament at the par-72 Coimbatore Golf Club Course here on Thursday.

Even as most of the young golfers were struggling to read the course, Chandigarh’s Abhijit S. Chadha quietly returned with the day’s best score of 74.

His fine effort saw him back at the top in Category ‘A’ (15-17). Abhijit had two birdies on the first and the 13th holes, but dropped three strokes on four holes to complete the round with a two-over.

Overnight leader Khalin Joshi of Bangalore, who had an eagle on the 15th, did a good job as well but his five-over par saw finish the day in the second position.

The scores (after 54 holes): Category ‘A’: 1. Abhijit Chadha 233 (77, 82, 74); 2. Khalin Joshi 235 (77, 81, 77); 3. Tarun Veeraraghavan 239 (82, 82, 76). Category ‘B’: 1. Ashbeer Singh Saini 231 (73,78, 80); 2. S. Chikkarangappa 234 (79, 78, 77); 3. T.C. Ajikut 240 (82, 78, 80).