By Rahul Banerji
India 1 and India 2 – Diksha Dagar and Gaurika Bishnoi, and Vani Kapoor and Amandeep Drall respectively – won their matches on the opening day of the Simone Asia Pacific Cup in Jakarta on Thursday.
While Diksha (74) and Gaurika (77) prevailed over Indonesia 2 who aggregated a 15-over total, the India 2 combo of Vani (78) and Amandeep (72) cruised past Singapore’s amateur duo.
Korea 2 (12 under) were on top of the team standings of the $750,000 competition, nine shots better off than Japan 2 and the Philippines (3-under) in shared second place.
India 2 are in 12th place alongside China while India 1 are T14 with Hong Kong.
Amandeep was the best placed in the individual event with a level-par 72 that gave her a share of 10th place, seven shots behind early leader So Yeon Ryu of Korea (7-under 65).
Event favourite Lydia Ko of New Zealand was tied second on 6-under 66 alongside surprise performer Princess Mary Superal of the Philippines.
Diksha Dagar on 2-over 74 was tied for 18th place with Gaurika Bishnoi and Vani Kapoor further down the leaderboard.
The no-cut individual competition for the 41 competing professionals has a purse of half a million dollars while the team event offers a $250,000 prize fund.
Kapur, SSP start well
At the International Series Korea in Jeju, the experience of Shiv Kapur and Shiv Shankar Prasad Chawrasia saw them as the best-placed Indians on Thursday.
The two had 3-under 68s to share 12th place while Veer Ahlawat who had a strong International Series Singapore run was 1-under 70 and T39 along with Viraj Madappa, Rashid Khan and Jyoti Randhawa.
asiantour.com adds: Thailand’s Pavit Tangkamolprasert sensationally made seven birdies in a row from the first hole to help him take the lead.
Pavit, also a two-time winner on the Asian Tour, shot a sublime eight-under-par 63, with the preferred lies rule in play, at Lotte Skyhill Country Club to lead Korean Eric Chun in with a 65.
Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond, the 2019 Asian Tour Order of Merit winner, South Africans Justin Harding and Ian Snyman, and Australia’s Brett Rumford all came in with 66s.
The most number of consecutive birdies on the Asian Tour is nine – achieved by Bernd Wiesberger from Austria at the 2017 Maybank Championship, when preferred lies were not used.
Record feat
However, Pavit’s feat did match the record for most birdies at the start of a round, which three others players have done.
The 33-year-old said: “I was a little bit lucky on the front nine, but I hit my long irons and mid-irons quite good.
“The first nine is quite long for me, I had about 170 to 180 yards mostly. I hit it close and made the putts. I think it is the first time I have had seven in a row.”
His eye-catching run came to an end with a bogey on eight, his only dropped shot of the day.
Chun produced one of the finest tournament rounds of his 10-year professional career.
Two birdies on the front nine and four on the back at put him out in front for the first time in an Asian Tour event, when he took the clubhouse lead in the morning.
Easy going
Jazz, who won four out of his six Asian Tour titles, including the Korea Open, when he claimed the Tour’s Order of Merit list in 2019, started on the back nine and made birdies on two of his last three holes.
“It was just a normal round, easy going,” said Jazz.
Harding, always a pre-tournament favourite boasting two Asian Tour wins as well as two on the DP World Tour, made six birdies and dropped one shot.
He said: “I am pretty pleased with it to be honest. I came out of the blocks nicely. I gave myself a lot of chances and rolled in a couple of putts.
“It felt pretty solid and then had a wobble halfway through. Hit some poor shots but managed to keep the pars on the card.
Also read: Stage set for Simone Asia Pacific Cup at Jakarta’s Pondok Indah
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