GOLF

Vani shares lead with young stars amateur Ayesha and Riya in Leg 11 of WPGT

Seasoned Vani Kapoor was joined by young and promising amateur golfers Ayesha Gupta and Riya Jadon in a shared lead at 4-under 67 after the first round of the Women’s Pro Golf Tour on Wednesday.

Vani teed off from the first and picked up three birdies in her first six holes to get off to a great start. She added further birdies on the 13th and the 15th but dropped a bogey in between on the 14th for a 67 as she was in the last group from the first tee.

Ayesha was bogey-free with two birdies on either side of the lovely Clover Greens layout.

Riya, who had five birdies and two bogeys between the 16th and the third in a six-hole run, closed with a birdie on the ninth to join Vani and Ayesha.

Heena Kang had four birdies against one bogey for her 3-under 68 and was sole fourth, while five players led by the experienced Amandeep Drall, amateur Priya Kumari, Shagun Narain, Smriti Bhargav and Jasmine Shekar were all tied for fifth place with rounds of 1-under 70 each.

Anvvi Dahhiya and Ketaki Sood shot par each and were tied 10th as 11 players carded par or better on the first day.

Ridhima Dilawari and Mannat Brar were Tied-12th alongside Nayanika Sanga, Anvitha Narender and Lavanya Jadon with scores of 1-over 72 each.

Shubhankar, Anirban to spearhead country’s challenge in DP World India Championship

Shubhankar Sharma and Anirban Lahiri will spearhead the Indian challenge against a world-class field featuring Major winner Rory McIlroy and defending champion Tommy Fleetwood, among others, at the DP World India Championship, to be held at the picturesque Delhi Golf Club from October 15 to 18.

The USD four million tournament is the eighth of nine events in the Back 9 phase of the 2026 Race to Dubai and serves as a key stop on the road to the season-ending DP World Tour Play-offs, culminating in the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai in November.

Shubhankar and Anirban will be joined by an elite international field that also includes the reigning Open champion Ryan Fox, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and Ryder Cup star Viktor Hovland.

Shubhankar, in particular, will be eager to make the most of home advantage. He became the youngest Indian to win on the DP World Tour when he captured the Joburg Open title in December 2017 at the age of 21.

Just two months later, he added the Maybank Championship to his resume and capped off a breakthrough season by winning the 2018 Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award while also topping the Asian Tour Order of Merit.

Now 30, Shubhankar has also won six titles on the Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) and represented India at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Diksha, Pranavi and Aditi all set for PIF London Championships

Indian golfers Diksha Dagar and Aditi Ashok, along with two others, will tee off at the USD 2 million PIF London Championship on the Ladies European Tour as it enters the final week of its United Kingdom swing on Thursday.

Diksha, who has been enjoying a good season on the Tour, is still searching for her third LET title while also aiming to better her career-best finish on the Tour.

She has recorded a string of top-10 finishes and is currently eighth on the Order of Merit, having finished in the top three in 2023.

Aditi is also in the field as she continues to split her schedule between the LPGA Tour and the LET. The five-time LET winner, who is yet to register a victory on the LPGA Tour, has produced modest results this season and will be looking to change that this week.

Joining the duo are rookie Avani Prashanth and Pranavi Urs, whose recent results have been encouraging.

It is the sixth consecutive year that Centurion Club in Hertfordshire is hosting the tournament, which will feature a field of 120 players.

RACKETLON

Vikramaditya to lead India’s title defence at Racketlon World Championships

The Indian team, led by Vikramaditya Chaufla for the third consecutive time, will look to defend the title when the Racketlon World Championships begin in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Thursday.

The six-member Indian squad, announced by the Racketlon India Sports Association (RISA), comprises Chaufla (Captain), Prashant Sen, Monesh Mashruwala, Akshay Gandhi, Raghav Jatia and Nidhi Tiwari.

The team will compete in the Challenge Cup, where India will enter the tournament as the defending champions after winning the title last year.

Racketlon is a unique sport that combines table tennis, badminton, squash and tennis, with the cumulative score across all four disciplines deciding the winner.

Published on Aug 05, 2026