Returning to motion after the Tokyo Olympics, Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri rode on some wonderful approaches and made some huge places to put three-under by means of gap 16 on the opening day of the Wyndham Championships.
Starting in tenth place of the final common season occasion earlier than the FedEx Cup play-off on the PGA Tour, Lahiri had 5 birdies towards two bogeys when play was halted attributable to darkness.
A storm halted play for two hours, 7 minutes, with 30 gamers unable to finish the opening spherical.
Lahiri nonetheless has two extra holes to play on the morning of the second day at Sedgefield Country Club.
Russell Henley took the lead at eight-under 62, as Korea’s Sung Kang was amongst seven gamers on 64. Kang, 34, fired in his lowest spherical of the season with eight birdies and two bogeys on the playing cards.
Lahiri made a superb 19-foot gap for his birdie on the eleventh day, his second gap of the day, however gave up a shot after going into the tough on the thirteenth.
Back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17 helped get him again beneath par. On par-3 16, he got here inside six ft and on par-4 17 he reached two ft for a birdie.
A missed par put from inside eight ft noticed him drop a shot earlier than he made back-to-back birdies, nonetheless on fourth and fifth with two high-quality approaches from three ft and 7 ft inside. He has two par-4s to play on the eighth and ninth.
Henley birdied three of his closing 4 holes for a two-stroke lead as Sung Kang, Ted Potter Jr., Chris Kirkkind, Hudson Swford, Scott Piercy and Michael Thompson.
Adam Hadwin was additionally six-under, however he had two holes left when it was darkish.
Kang wants a win on this week’s closing occasion of the common season to qualify for the profitable FedExCup playoffs for the sixth yr in a row.
Countrymen KJ Choi, Sungjae Im and Si Woo Kim, 2016 Wyndham Championship winners – all shared nineteenth with a card of 66.
Thailand’s Kiradech Apiburnrat, who like Kang wants a win to qualify for the playoffs and extra importantly, retains his PGA Tour card, additionally shared nineteenth place.
He additionally wants a very good outcome to be eligible for the Korn Ferry Tour Finals beginning subsequent week, one other alternative to retain his taking part in privileges on the Tour.
Chinese Taipei’s CT Pan, who gained a bronze medal on the Olympic Games, scored 68 for the T61 place.
Tough day for Aditi, Tavesa at Scottish Open
Aditi Ashok in motion. (supply: file picture)
Indian golfer Aditi Ashok, who returned from the Olympics, had a disappointing begin on the Scottish Open and performed a five-over 77 card to complete T-129th after the opening spherical right here.
Fellow Indian Tavesa Malik additionally obtained off to a poor begin on the primary day, ending 79th within the 73rd place with 73 runs from an over.
Local favourite Michelle Thomson began in fashion with a seven-under 65, her season-best, for the lead.
The Aberdeen participant regrouped to card an eagle at quantity 2 after a bogey on the primary gap and birdies seven of her closing 11 holes of the match, co-sanctioned by the Ladies European and Ladies PGA Tours.
Ashok, who was engulfed in interviews upon arriving in Scotland after a formidable fourth-place end on the Olympic Games in Tokyo, will want an ideal second spherical to make the reduce, whereas Tavesa may also be hoping for an excellent higher efficiency.
Tavesa, who got here near profitable the Gantt Ladies Open, made three birdies out of 4 bogeys, whereas Aditi made seven bogeys towards two birdies.
Thompson, who’s managed by former Open winner Paul Lowry, is making solely his twelfth look at an LPGA Tour occasion since 2017. His career-best efficiency is forty eighth on the 2018 ISPS Handa Australian Open.
Two-time LPGA Tour winner Jasmine Suwannapura completed second at five-under alongside 2020 Tokyo Olympian Anne Van Dam and main champion Yuka Sasso.
Suwannapura returns to the Lynx and Scotland for the primary time since her runner-up efficiency on the 2020 AIG Women’s Open at Royal Troon.
2020 Olympic bronze medalist Lydia Ko is T24 at two-under, whereas defending champion Stacey Lewis is thirty fifth within the second spherical.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
