GOLF
Aditi shoots second straight 69, finishes T-34th at Founders Cup
Indian golfer Aditi Ashok carded a second consecutive 69, featuring four birdies, to finish Tied-34th at the Founders Cup, marking her first event on the LPGA Tour this season.
The 26-year-old, who had rounds of 72-70-69-69 for a 4-under total, closed on a fine note with birdies on the 17th and the 18th on Sunday.
A five-time winner on the LET, Aditi, who has often played a few weeks on the Ladies European Tour each season, will tee off at the Saudi Ladies International, which carries a big purse of USD five million.
At the Founders Cup, Yealimi Noh beat former World No. 1 Jin Young Ko by four strokes to become the season’s first Rolex First-Time Winner at Bradenton Country Club.
Noh began the final round one stroke ahead of Ko at 18-under and shot 3-under 68 to finish 21-under 263 for the week.
Ko shot 71 and was 17-under for the week for second place.
While Ko was disappointed to not pick up her fourth career victory in this event, there were plenty of positives for her second consecutive top-five finish on the LPGA Tour.
Megan Khang finished solo third at 16-under overall. Three players tied for fourth at 13-under, a group that included Olympians Hannah Green and Miyu Yamashita and 2024 LPGA Tour rookie Jin Hee Im.
– PTI
TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship: Local favourites S.S.P. Chawrasia and Rahil Gangjee in focus
Local favourites S.S.P. Chawrasia and Rahil Gangjee along with Rashid Khan and S. Chikkarangappa will be among the leading golfers to be seen in action in the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) season opener, the TATA Steel PGTI Players Championship, starting at the Tollygunge Club course in Kolkata on Tuesday.
The event, offering a prize purse of ₹1 crore, will feature 121 professionals and three city-based amateurs — Varish Mohta, Suveer Kapoor and Anshul Mishra.
The professionals include players from the USA, Italy, Czech Republic, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
– Y.B. Sarangi
BASKETBALL
All-Star Team Chennai, All-Star Team Delhi crowned champions at ACG Jr. NBA 3v3 National League Finals
The ACG Jr. NBA program, a nationwide 3v3 tournament for the top U-14 players across India and the largest school-based basketball program in the country, concluded with All-Star Team Delhi clinching the boys’ title and All-Star Team Chennai emerging victorious in the girls’ category.
In the boys’ final, All-Star Team Delhi defeated Maharana Pratap Inter College, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, 21-10, while in the girls’ division, All-Star Team Chennai triumphed against Delhi Public School, Rajnandangaon, Chhattisgarh, with a 14-12 win.
The five-day ACG Jr. NBA 3v3 National League Finals, held from February 6-10 at the Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi, featured an exciting lineup of activities, including the trophy reveal, free-throw contests, and an engagement zone with interactive challenges for all players. Additionally, the event hosted an ACG Jr. NBA Referee Clinic led by former NBA G League referee Greg Dandridge, offering officials a unique opportunity to enhance their skills. A youth and coaches clinic conducted by Scott Flemming, Head Coach of the India men’s national basketball team, further enriched the program.
– Team Sportstar
INBL Pro Basketball League: Mumbai Titans beats Hyderabad Falcons
Mumbai Titans overwhelmed Hyderabad Falcons 95-79 after having trailed 47-50 at halftime in the INBL Pro basketball league at the Thyagaraj Indoor Stadium on Monday.
The Mumbai team surged ahead in the fourth quarter, scoring 27 points, while conceding a mere seven.
It was a welcome revival of fortunes for the Mumbai team which had lost its earlier two matches.
After scoring big in winning its first two matches, Hyderabad stumbled a bit.
The results:
Mumbai Titans 95 (Elijah Puna 20, Dalph Panopio 18, Liam Judd 17, Pranav Prince 15, Lamer Paterson 15) bt Hyderabad Falcons 79 (Alex Robinson jr. 21, Kushal Singh 15, Jack Purchase 10).
-Kamesh Srinivasan