GOLF
Avani shoots 65 to finish Tied-13th in Australia
Avani Prashanth shot a superb 5-under 65 in the final round of Australian Women’s Classic and registered a solid top-15 finish in her maiden season on the Ladies European Tour. With earlier rounds of 72-70, she totalled 3-under 207 and finished six shots behind the winner, Manon De Roey who birdied the final hole to pip Cara Gainer to the title.
Pranavi Urs, who was the other Indian to make the cut shot 72 and ended at T-65. Diksha Dagar had missed the cut.
Avani started on the tenth and birdied the 10th, 12th, 14th, 17th and the 18th. She added a sixth on the second and was 6-under and looking at a yop-10 finish. That’s when she dropped shots on the third and the fifth but picked a last one at the seventh.
Avani, a top-10 finisher at her home event, the Hero Indian Open, in the past while being an amateur, was pleased with the final day show and said, “It was a good final day as I had been struggling with reading the greens the past two. days.
“Of the seven birdies, I hit two approaches actually like within eight feet and everything else was like 15-20-25 feet putts. So, I so glad I got it together and am are looking forward to next week.” For the winner, Manon it was a third LET win and jumped to second in 2025 Order of Merit. De Roey made a clutch birdie at the 18th hole and become a three-time Ladies European Tour (LET) winner.
-PTI
Lahiri finishes 25th at LIV Golf Singapore, Niemann wins second title of the year
Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri carded a two-under 69 in the third and final round to secure a modest Tied-25th finish at LIV Golf Singapore on Sunday.
Lahiri, who shot rounds of 70 and 72 on the first two days, registered four birdies against two bogeys in the final round.
At the top, Joaquin Niemann (65) cruised to a massive five-shot win over Brooks Koepka (66) for his second victory in the first four events of the season.
Niemann, who also won LIV Golf Adelaide in February, fired a six-under 65 in the final round to top the field at Sentosa Golf Club, outlasting Smash GC’s Koepka, who finished second, and RangeGoats GC’s Ben Campbell, who rounded out the podium in third.
On the team leaderboard, Championship Sunday belonged to Fireballs GC for the third week in a row, with captain Sergio Garcia (71), David Puig (66), Abraham Ancer (69), Luis Masaveu (68) finishing the round at 10-under to take the title at 22 under, three ahead of Legion XIII, who finished second, and four ahead of 4Aces GC, who finished in third.
-PTI
WINTER SPORTS
India ends Special Olympics World Winter Games campaign with 33 medals
India clinched 12 medals in four events on the final day, concluding its campaign at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, Italy with 33 medals.
India’s medal tally included 8 gold, 18 silver, and 7 bronze medals.
In Snowshoeing, India secured four more medals, adding to the six won earlier in the competition. The Alpine Skiing segment also saw stellar performances from Indian athletes.
In the Floorball event, Indian Women’s Traditional Team showcased its teamwork and skill, claiming a bronze medal.
While India recorded 10 medals each in Snowshoeing and Alpine Skiing, six medals came in Snowboarding. Short Track Speed Skating, Cross Country Skiing and Floorball brought the country four, two and one medal respectively.
“Each medal won is a testament to their hard work and the unwavering support from coaches, families, and the entire Special Olympics Bharat family,” Special Olympics Bharat President Mallika Nadda said in a release.
“We are incredibly proud of their achievements and will continue to support their journey towards greater heights.”
-PTI
TENNIS
Britain’s Clarke wins ITF tournament in Chandigarh
Top seed Jay Clarke of Britain beat third seed Woobin Shin of Korea 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-0 in the final of the $15,000 ITF men’s tennis tournament at the CLTA Complex on Sunday.
It was the 13th singles title in the professional circuit for the 26-year-old Briton who was ranked a career-best 153 in 2019.
-Team Sportstar
