By Rahul Banerji
A solid final round of level-par 72 helped Indian teenager Anika Varma finish just outside the top 10 at the Orange Tree Challenge on the Cactus Tour in the western United States on Thursday.
The California-based amateur followed rounds of 73 and 75 to return her best card of the week to take sole possession of 12th place with a 4-over aggregate of 220.
It was just two shots away from what could have been her sixth top-10 placing on the Cactus Tour – which has run through the Covid-19 crisis to provide golfers an ongoing and competitive platform.
The teenager from Noida, now a resident of Roseville where she trains with coach Noah Montgomery, had two birdies against one dropped shot to make the turn on 1-under 35.
He back nine had a lone bogey that gave her a par-72 card for the day.
Mina Harigae wins
At the top of the order, USGA winner and LPGA player Mina Harigae closed out her third win on the Cactus Tour with a massive 23-under aggregate of 193, 16 shots clear of second placed amateur Katherine Muzi.
Harigae’s victory at the Orange Tree Golf Club was comfortably the biggest of the season.
After successive titles at Mesa and Fountain Hills in late April and early May, Harigae also matched Germany’s Sophia Popov in a title hat-trick.
The winner had rounds of 67, 65 and an eye-popping 11-under 61 on the final day.
“Working to keep the momentum going. Thank you to @THECACTUSTOUR and all of the ladies who came out to compete for the fun 3 days! Can’t wait to get back out there for the @LPGA season!,” the smooth-swinging 30-year-old tweeted later.
An ace marks the day
On the PGA Tour meanwhile, Korea’s Sung Kang sank a lone hole in one to mark the opening day of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday, the first Tour action since early March.
The ace however, did not help Kang to any better than tied 110th on 2-over par 72 at the Colonial Country Club on a day England’s Justin Rose and Harold Varner III held the lead with 7-under 63s respectively.
Varner, who spoke for the players ahead of the event-opener in marking the PGA Tour’s commitment towards racial equality, carried on as leader into the second day as well with a 4-under 66 on Friday, despite a triple bogey on the first hole.
Slim lead
He sits one shot ahead of the re-energised Jordan Speith (65-65) and a newly-bulked up Bryson DeChambeau (65-65), whose fearsome driving has social media buzzing at his club-head and ball speed.
World number one Rory McIlroy made a second day recovery to climb from tied 38th on Thursday to tied fourth on 9-under 131 (68-63) alongside Xander Schauffele and Collin Morikawa.
Morikawa closed on on an unusual record in making his 21st straight cut since debut, the second best in the last 30 years. The only one ahead of him is Tiger Woods, who opened his career with 25 cuts made in a row.
Also read: Stop-start US pro golf season prepares for second chapter
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