Nishna, Avani make cut at Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific

From a Correspondent

Singapore, March 10: Nishna Patel and Avani Prashanth made the cut from the six-member Indian team at the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship here on Friday.

Nishna, who had a rocky three-over front nine, went three-under on the back nine for a level par 72 and sits in a share of 13^th place.

Avani Prashanth, still wielding a cold putter added a one-under 71 to her first round 73 and is now tied 19^th.

While Nishna is one-under 143 for two rounds, Avani is level par 144.

The four Indian girls missing the cut at six-over 150 were Mannat Brar (76-77), Anika Varma (74-81), Lavanya Jadon (78-79) and Vidhatri Urs (77-81).

Thailand’s Eila Galitsky and Sophie Han of Hong Kong, China, joined overnight leader Minsol Kim of Korea on top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage.

In Friday’s second round at Singapore Island Country Club, the 16-year-old Galitsky (67) and 15-year-old Han (68) played in the morning and made the most of the favourable conditions.

Making gains

Galitsky was strong with her wedges, while Han’s putter was red-hot. They set the clubhouse mark of eight-under par 136, matched later in the day by Kim (69).

Nishna said the recent experience of the Queen Sirikit Cup, where the Indians finished second helped her a lot. She has also played in two previous WAAP competitions.

Avani, the Queen Sirikit Cup winner, continued to have problems with the putter. She missed more than half a dozen putts inside 12 feet but closed the day out with a birdie.

Nishna said, “I had a tough front nine with two early bogeys. But I stayed calm and it paid off on the back nine.

“The putting was far better today. However it was tough pulling the cart on a course like this.”

Korea’s Jiyoo Lim shot the round of the day, a bogey-free 64, matching the championship record held jointly by Thailand’s Kan Bunnabodee (Abu Dhabi 2021, second round) and Australia’s Becky Kay (2019 Japan, first round).

Lim improved to tied fourth position at 138, where she was joined by China’s Zixin Ni (70).

Making waves

Fifty-one players advanced to the weekend rounds amongst them being China’s 12-year-old sensation Liu Yujie (tied 32nd).

Galitsky, a quarter-finalist in the Girls Amateur in Carnoustie last year and tied 35th at the WAAP in Thailand last year, said she could feel her game trending in the right direction lately.

Han finds herself in a position to create history for Hong Kong. No player from her country has ever won the premier Asia-Pacific amateur title.

The World no. 415, who was tied 29th last year, said she was feeling confident about her chances after a round that had seven birdies, at least four of which came from putts longer than 20 feet.

Kim made two birdies after the turn on the first and second holes but finished with seven straight pars in her three-under 69 round.

Defending champion Ting-Hsuan Huang of Chinese Taipei shot a 72 to be tied 10th at two-under 142.

Japan’s Rin Yoshida, the highest-ranked player in the field at number four, added a 71 to Thursday’s 75 and was tied 30th.

Also read: Nishna Patel top Indian at T11 in WAAP, Avani lies 21st