Anika Varma is T18 at SW Women’s Amateur after Day 1

By Rahul Banerji

US-based Indian amateur Anika Varma shared 18^th place after the first round of the Southwestern Women’s Amateur Championship in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Wednesday.

The 17-year-old, who has qualified for the US Girls Junior Championship in Kentucky next month returned a 1-over 72 at the Desert Mountain Club’s Geronimo course.

She sits eight shots behind event leader Grace Summerhays, who made eight birdies in her round of 7-under 64.

Anika, who will join the Oregon University women’s golf team after high school, had four bogeys against three birdies, of them in her last three holes during her opening round.

The top 36 and ties go into the final two rounds of the Arizona event from the 72-strong field, being hosted by the 107-year-old South-Western Golf Association.

Top finish

Last November, Anika became the first Indian to post a top-10 when she finished tied ninth at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship in Abu Dhabi.

Anika brought in a final round card of 1-under par 71 in the premier regional tournament, which was won by Japan’s Mizuko Hashimoto.

Anika, who was then ranked 483^rd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, has improved to 432^nd, while national women’s champion Avani Prashanth is currently 120^th in the standings.

Bangalore-based Avani took 16^th place, the best finish by an India-based entrant at the WAAP.

Anika (69-68-70-71) was in sublime form over the first two days, and her first dropped shot at Abu Dhabi came after 44 holes.

Despite struggling in the latter two rounds, she fought hard for a fourth consecutive sub-par round. Her 10-under par 278 was six adrift of Hashimoto (16-under-par 272).

The 107^th edition of the Southwestern Amateur concludes on Saturday, with the women’s event being held for the second time.

Anika will play the US Girls Junior Championship to be held at The Club at Olde Stone in Kentucky from July 18 to 24. At the 2019 edition, she finished in 17th place.

Indians miss out

Meanwhile, at the 127^th British Amateur, a four-strong Indian contingent failed to progress from the opening two stroke-play rounds to the match-play section of the championship.

The event, which secures the winner exemptions into The Open and the US Open and also an invitation to the Masters, is being held at England’s Royal Lytham & St Annes (par-70) and St Annes Old Links (par-72) courses.

Shaurya Bhattacharya was unlucky as his 2-over aggregate 144 (76-68) just missed the cut line that came at 1-over 143 despite a sub-par second round.

South Africa’s Jonathan Broomhead (67-68), who was tied on 7-under 135 with Barclay Brown (70-65) of England, topped the stroke-play event on countback with an eagle-birdie finish.

Bhattacharya was tied 80^th after the first two rounds.

Milind Soni (75-78), Aryan Roopa Anand (81-75) and Yuvraj Singh (83-74) were further down the order.

Also read: Desert Storm: Anika Varma second Indian teenager to make a mark at Asia-Pacific Amateur