Evens finish for Tvesa; Atwal, Lahiri make Dominica cut

By Rahul Banerji

Tvesa Malik brought in a level par card in her third and final round of the 2020 Lavaux Ladies Open on Friday to finish tied 22^nd at the LET Access Series event in Switzerland.

The 24-year-old, who has been touring Europe on a heavy schedule had rounds of 75, 72 and 72. It was her second event of the Access Series.

Meanwhile, in the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, Arjun Atwal and Anirban Lahiri did enough in their Friday rounds to make the 2020 Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship cut.

Both had 3-under par total to go into the weekend in tied 54^th place.

Two weeks ago Tvesa finished tied fourth at the Flumserberg Open and went on to take a share of 10^th the next week at the Lacoste Ladies Open n France.

That gave the Gurgaon girl her best overseas finish, while the tied sixth at last year’s Hero Women’s Indian Open remains her best professional performance.

French amateur Agathe Laisne was the week’s big winner with a seven-shot final round bounce-back for a three-shot clubhouse lead that sent her into a three-way tie.

Playing in her first LETAS event, the 21-year-old closed with a final round of 4-under 68 (-4) and then got the better of compatriot Agathe Sauzon and overnight leader Pia Babnik in extra holes, the LET website said.

Late stumble

At the Puntacana Resort & Club’s Corales Course, Lahiri was on his way to a good total till a late rush of bogeys dented his run up the leader-board.

On a day the lead he looked set for a determined climb, Lahiri had risen all the way to tied 15^th on 6-under par before three bogeys ruined the card.

Playing alongside for the first time in their professional careers, Atwal took quite the opposite route into the money rounds at the $4 million event,

The Florida resident opened with a 73 and looked in danger of missing the cut after his outbound nine before stepping it up.

Atwal was still in danger of missing the cut but two birdies in the final three holes meant he would come through on the bubble along with 73 other pros.

At the top of the order on the par-72, 7,666-yard course, Hudson Swafford took the lead with rounds of 65 and 67 for a 12-under total of 132.

He was two ahead of his closest pursuers, Sean O’Hair, Luke List and Justin Suh, all on 10-under 134s.

Solid run

Of the Asian contingent, Mainland China’s Xinjun Zhang continued his fine recent form with a 9-under total of 135 (66-69).

Also making the cut were Korea’s Sangmoon Bae on 5-under. Atwal, Lahiri, C.T. Pan of Taipei and Panasonic Open India winner Joohyung Kim of South Korea were all 3-under 141s.

Defending champion Graeme McDowell missed the cut with scores of 70 and 73, as did promising Indian-American Akshay Bhatia (69-73).

Also read: Tvesa slips, but still brings in first overseas top-10 finish