At the end of 54 holes at the LINKS Hong Kong Open, Anirban Lahiri was tied for the lead. What promised to be the end of an 11-year wait for a title turned into a nightmarish final round for the Indian as he slipped to tied 17th place.
And then there were two events in Korea – the BMW Ladies Championship on the LPGA and the Genesis Korea Championship on the DP World Tour – which had Aditi Ashok and Shubhankar Sharma in the mix. A win from any of them would have taken some miracle golf, but a good final round would have meant a lot to their seasons next year. It was the tournament’s best round, and she would have been hard to catch. There have been several disappointing messages on social media over the past couple of weeks (started with only six Indians making the cut at the DP World India Championship), but this Sunday, really, is a good omen of things to come. Not only was this her first visit to the beastly DLF Golf & Country Club course, she also managed to make three birdies in her last three holes that day.
At the DLF Golf & Country Club, Vani’s 70 would have won her the title on most days, but Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum played sensational golf for a bogey-free seven-under par 65. It’s not just the established players who are coming into their own, there are also talents like the 13-year-old Ojaswini Saraswat. For her to shoot a three-under par 69 in Friday’s second round – the day’s joint best score – and make the cut was huge.
After opening with three straight rounds of 69, a 73 on Sunday dropped Aditi to tied 29th place. It helped her improve two positions to No72 in the Race to CME Globe standings, and she should keep her proud record of holding a full Category 2 LPGA card next season as well. 182 in the Race to Dubai, and the Genesis Korea Championship was his last chance to make any kind of a move, or at least get a result that commensurate with the work he has been putting into his game.
And yet, she looked good for a bigger jump and get closer to No60, which is the cut-off for CME Globe Championship. Sharma was in a precarious position with his DP World Tour status. The struggles this season had seen him slide to No.
