By Rahul Banerji
Bangalore teenager Avani Prashanth qualified for the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur after an extended wait on Friday.
Avani, 15, will become the first Indian woman to play competitively at the fabled Augusta National Golf Club after finishing in a tie for 21st place.
The long-hitting teenager had rounds of 76 and 73 to aggregate 5-over 149 in a field of 72 where only the top two finished on level par 144.
A measure of difficulty faced by the field at the Champions Retreat Golf Club comes in the statistic that only eight sub-par cards were submitted over two days in 144 completed rounds.
Avani was one of the first to finish both qualifying rounds and had to wait through most of Friday at the weather-hit event to learn of her progress.
Her second round, after a first day 76 that her down in tied 39th place was a strong performance in the course of which she recorded three birdies, two bogeys and a double.
Good recovery
It was a good recovery from a first round that contained seven dropped shots against three birdies.
“I came here to do well and this is the first step. I have one more round at the famous Augusta and I am excited,” Avani was quoted as saying.
Two others of Indian origin in the field – Megha Ganne of the US and Savannah Grewal of Canada – did not make the final round.
“Avani played some fantastic golf today finishing 1 over for the day,” her father texted from Augusta. “She had three birdies and missed two other birdies, on eight and nine.
“The birdies came on holes 1, 3, and 5. The first was a good putt from 25 feet.
“Hole 3 was a par 5, where she hit her second shot to the green after a drive over 265 yards and two-putted.
“Hole 5 was a great approach to eight feet converted to a birdie.
Tough lie
“The bogeys came on 13 (we started from the 10th) and four, and the double on 16. Hole 13, because of the rain since morning, the fairway had worsened in places and there was no preferred lie.
“The ball was on the fairway but in a poor situation. Avani thought the grass would offer resistance and played a chip for it, but the ball travelled too far from the hole and Avani could not make the putt.
“Hole 16, Avani missed the elevated green from 151 yards. She mishit the chip and rolled back, she chipped again but that sat in the fringe.
“She putted from 15 feet but the ball went far though Avani saved the double bogey.
“A good end to the round.”
The top 30 finishers will play the final round later on Saturday at Augusta National, which will host the 86th Masters next week.
Also read: Avani is T39 after round 1 of Augusta National Women’s Amateur
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