Avani Prashanth produced a sensational closing stretch to lift India into contention for its first Queen Sirikit Cup victory.
With a succession of brilliant shots, the 16-year-old covered the final four holes of Manila Southwoods Golf and Country Club’s Masters Course in five-under-par, highlighted by an eagle-two at the 16th where she holed out with her sand wedge from 110 yards.
That meant Prashanth signed for a six-under 66 to go alongside her opening 68. Going into Thursday’s penultimate round, Prashanth holds a seven-stroke lead in the individual standings, ahead of Rianne Malixi of the Philippines, New Zealander Fiona Xu and Korean Yoo Hyun-jo.
Her brilliant performance has also raised Indian hopes of a first triumph in what is the 43rd edition of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Ladies Golf Team Championship.
At the half-way stage, India has sole possession of second place. In the event in which the best two daily scores in each team of three are counted, India posted a day two total of one-under 143 with Vidhatri Urs contributing a 77. Nishna Patel’s 78 was not needed.
With a 36-hole aggregate of three-under 285, the Indian team is four strokes behind the pace-setting Korean trio of Yoo, Kim Min-sol and Seo Kyo-rim.
In joint third place on 288 are China, Hong Kong, China and defending champions Japan, followed by Thailand (289), New Zealand and the Philippines (290), Indonesia and Malaysia (296), Chinese Taipei (297) and Singapore (305).
On a day of extreme heat during which the greens – running at 10.5 on the Stimpmeter – firmed up, many of the 36 players in the 12-nation event struggled.
Yuna Araki, number five in the WAGR, carded a 74 and is equal ninth on 144 while her Japanese team-mate Mizuki Hashimoto, last year’s Queen Sirikit Cup individual champion and winner of January’s Australian Women’s Amateur, failed to break 80.
Chinese Taipei’s Tiffany Huang Ting-hsuan, the reigning Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific champion, was three-over through 13 but found three late birdies to post an even-par 72 to rise to joint fifth on 143.
Even Prashanth took some time to warm-up, reeling off eight successive pars to begin her round before snaring a 10-footer for a birdie-three at the ninth.
“My putter was cold to start and it was an exhausting first eight holes,” said Prashanth, 97th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) and rated as one of the region’s outstanding young prospects.
After picking up her second shot of the day at 10, Prashanth suffered her only blemish at the par-three 13th where she pushed her tee-shot into the right-hand bunker and failed to get up-and-down.
Unfazed, she birdied 15 after a pinpoint wedge approach before bursting clear at the top with the eagle at the 416-yard 16th. With the bit between her teeth, further birdies at the par-three 17th and par-five 18th completed a memorable day. Her 66 was four strokes better than the day’s next best return from China’s An Tong.
“I’m loving the course and the wide fairways,” said Prashanth, who averages 270 yards off the tee. “I’m feeling confident and am looking forward to the next two days here.”
India’s previous best finishes in the Queen Sirikit Cup were fourth place at Delhi Golf Club in 1986 and 2011 and joint fourth in 1998, also on home soil, at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club.
One shot clear at the top after the opening round, Korea were indebted to rounds of 71 from Yoo and Kim.
“The second round is always tough after you make a good start. I’m proud of how our girls handled themselves,” said Korean Captain Sang Won-ko, whose team are bidding to claim the title for the eighth time in nine attempts.
For the second day running, China’s Zhang Yahui was left to rue her misfortune. On day one she mysteriously lost a ball while playing the 12th hole, costing her a bogey.
In the second round, the 17-year-old from Hubei Province ran up a quintuple-bogey nine at the ninth where she twice found the lake fronting the green after drawing difficult lies in the bunker.
Although her score was not required, Zhang, 31st in the WAGR, at least had the consolation of finishing her round with an eagle-three at 18 where she struck a five-iron approach to 20 feet and made the putt, signing for a 75.
“I hope that will bring a change of luck for me in the final two rounds,” said Zhang, won made international headlines in 2021 when, aged 15, she won the China LPGA Tour’s CTBC Zhuhai Challenge.
Team Scores
281: Korea (139-142) – Yoo Hyun-jo 70-71; Kim Min-sol 73-71; Seo Kyo-rim 69-78
285: India (142-143) – Avani Prashanth 68-66; Vidhatri Urs 74-77; Nishna Patel 80-78
288: China (145-143) – An Tong 73-70; Ni Zixin 72-73; Zhang Yahui 73-75
288: Hong Kong, China (141-147) – Arianna Lau 72-71; Sophie Han 69-76; Charlene Chung Yan-yin 79-84)
288: Japan (141-147) – Yuna Araki 70-74; Miku Ueta 74-73; Mizuki Hashimoto 71-80
289: Thailand (140-149) – Achiraya Sriwong 70-73; Thitikarn Thapasit 70-78; Namo Luangnitikul 74-76
290: New Zealand (140-150) – Fiona Xu 68-73; Vivian Lu 72-77; Eunseo Choi 82-80
290: Philippines (142-148) – Rianne Malixi 68-73; Mafy Singson 74-75; Lois Kaye Go 77-80
296: Indonesia (145-151) – Elaine Widjaja 71-78; Kristina Yoko 74-75; Holly Halim 76-76
296: Malaysia (147-149) – Ng Jing Xuen 73-75; Foong Zi Yu 76-74; Wang Xin Yao 74-77
297: Chinese Taipei (147-150) – Tiffany Huang Ting-hsuan 71-72; Sophia Chen 76-78; Olivia Hung 76-78
305: Singapore (147-158) – Aloysa Atienza 73-79; Jillian Kuk 79-79; Chen Xing Tong 74-85
Individual Scores
134 – Avani Prashanth (India) 68-66
141 – Rianne Malixi (Philippines) 68-73
141 – Fiona Xu (New Zealand) 68-73
141 – Yoo Hyun-jo (Korea) 70-71
143 – Achiraya Sriwong (Thailand) 70-73
143 – An Tong (China) 73-70
143 – Tiffany Huang Ting-hsuan (Chinese Taipei) 71-72
143 – Arianna Lau (Hong Kong, China) 72-71
144 – Yuna Araki (Japan) 70-74
144 – Kim Min-sol (Korea) 73-71
145 – Sophie Han (Hong Kong, China) 69-76
145 – Ni Zixin (China) 72-73
147 – Seo Kyo-rim (Korea) 69-78
147 – Miku Ueta (Japan) 74-73
148 – Ng Jing Xuen (Malaysia) 73-75
148 – Thitikarn Thapasit (Thailand) 70-78
148 – Zhang Yahui (China) 73-75
149 – Vivian Lu (New Zealand) 72-77
149 – Mafy Singson (Philippines) 74-75
149 – Elaine Widjaja (Indonesia) 71-78
149 – Kristina Yoko (Indonesia) 74-75
150 – Foong Zi Yu (Malaysia) 76-74
150 – Namo Luangnitikul (Thailand) 74-76
151 – Mizuki Hashimoto (Japan) 71-80
151 – Vidhatri Urs (India) 74-77
151 – Wang Xin Yao (Malaysia) 74-77
152 – Aloysa Atienza (Singapore) 73-79
152 – Holly Halim (Indonesia) 76-76
154 – Sophia Chen (Chinese Taipei) 76-78
154 – Olivia Hung (Chinese Taipei) 76-78
157 – Lois Kaye Go (Philippines) 77-80
158 – Jillian Kuk (Singapore) 79-79
158 – Nishna Patel (India) 80-78
159 – Chen Xing Tong (Singapore) 74-85
162 – Eunseo Choi (New Zealand) 82-80
163 – Charlene Chung Yan-yin (Hong Kong, China) 79-84
