Anshul Mishra finishes strong to take joint lead in Visakhapatnam
Order of Merit leader Anshul Mishra and Deepak Yadav shared the lead after the opening round of the IGU Andhra Pradesh Amateur Golf Championship in Visakhapatnam. Mishra finished strongly with late birdies, while Yadav produced a steady bogey-free round of two-under 70
Hyderabad: Order of Merit leader Anshul Mishra came good on the homestretch to share the lead with Deepak Yadav on the opening day of the IGU Andhra Pradesh Amateur Golf Championship at the East Point Golf Club in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.
Even-par with three holes to go for the day, Mishra, who started from the 10th tee, birdied the seventh and eighth holes for his two-under 70. Yadav, playing two groups behind, shot a bogey-free 70 to join the Kolkata teenager at the top.
Only three golfers returned sub-par scores on a hot and humid day. Hiransh Singh of Delhi shot one-under 71 to stay one stroke behind the leaders. Maharashtra’s Shashank Sachin Gadre managed an even-par round to occupy fourth place.
Five golfers, including Harjai Milkha Singh and Zoravar Randhawa, were tied for sixth on two-over 74, a stroke behind Naveen Rathi.
Mishra made his intentions clear early on, picking up a shot on the par-5 12th hole. Despite going over the green with his 5-wood second shot, the 17-year-old chipped to within 10 feet of the pin and sank the putt. He added another birdie on the 18th, where he struck the pin with his pitching wedge second shot and tapped in from three feet.
He lost the advantage after the turn, dropping shots on the first hole, where he three-putted from 40 feet, and the third, where he found the woods on the left with his driver tee shot and settled for a bogey five.
A long hitter, Mishra reached the green in two on the seventh hole and two-putted from 20 feet for a birdie. He hit his 9-iron tee shot to within three feet on the eighth for another birdie.
Yadav, however, was consistent throughout. Despite missing a few birdie putts in the seven to 10 feet range, the Delhi golfer, looking for his breakthrough victory, holed the ones that mattered. He sank a tricky five-footer on the 15th and holed a 15-footer on the seventh for his two-under 70.
Leading scores (after 18 holes): 70: Anshul Mishra (WB), Deepak Yadav (Del); 71: Hiransh Singh (Del); 72: Shashank Sachin Gadre (Mah); 73: Naveen Rathi (Har); 74: Tanish R Gowda (Kar), Ribhav Verma (Har), Zoravar Randhawa (Chd), Harjai Milkha Singh (Chd), Vinamra Anand (UP).
