By Rahul Banerji
Anika Varma’s gallant run at the 71st US Girls Championship was brought to a sudden end in the second knockout series, the Round of 32, at the SentryWorld course in Wisconsin on Thursday.
The 15-year-old from Noida had played solid golf to advance thus far in the competition but in Nicole Whiston came up against an opponent who was to strong on the day to o down 5 and 4 to the 18-year-old from California.
Anika managed to hold her own despite going a hole down at the very start till the ninth, which she won to make the turn 1-down. Whiston thereafter went on a tear, ripping off four birdies in the next five holes to close out the match with four to go.
Serious opponent
The young Indian can take heart from the fact that her opponent went on to take down the third seeded Sophia Bae, also of the US, by a 1 up margin and book a place in the quarter-finals.
According to the United States Golf Association website, Whiston will face fellow Southern Californian Briana Chacon, 17, next.
Meanwhile, Yuka Saso of the Philippines and American Rose Zhang, the two highest-ranked players in the 71st U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship field, won twice each on Thursday to set up a quarter-final clash on Friday.
Top seed and league medallist Saso, no. 25 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking defeated Phoebe Brinker and Anne Chen, both of the US, with some ease while Zhang, 16, hit eight birdies in 12 holes to eliminate Michaela Morard in the Round of 32 and then ousted Kelly Xu, 15, in the Round of 16.
This is the farthest Saso, the winner of the Girls Junior PGA Championship two weeks ago has advanced in four US Girls’ Junior starts, although she was a semi-finalist at the 2016 US Women’s Amateur.
Raghav Chugh tops USKG leader-board
In North Carolina, India’s top ranked male junior Raghav Chugh led the way after the first day of the US Kids Golf World Teen Championship at Pinehurst on Thursday.
Chugh, no. 1 on the Indian Golf Union’s junior boys Category A rankings, received an exemption entry to the USKG event based on his national status and made the most of the opportunity by posting a 4-under par 68 in the first round at the Pinehurst No. 4 course.
Chugh, 16, led a field of 140 in the boys 15-18 years event that had players from around the world but dominated by US entries. The other Indian in the field, Jalandhar’s Jot Parkash Singh, was in a tie for 14th place on 4-over 76.
Delhi-based Raghav exchanged a birdie for a bogey in his first nine holes to make the turn at level-par 36.
Hot streak
He then hit a purple patch on his inbound nine holes with four straight birdies between the 12th and 15th holes to finish the day three shots ahead of second placed Tyler Hurtubise of Canada.
Raghav won the USKG India Tour’s South Zone opener this May at the Clover Greens course in Hosur near Bangalore, bringing in a 7-under par card of 65 on the day.
The USKG event that has six age categories is being played over 54 holes at one of the iconic golf venues of the United States, Pinehurst, which has nine courses in all, several of which are in play for the USKG competitions currently.
Also read: Tenacious Anika eases into Round of 32 at US Girls Championship
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