IGU Maharashtra Ladies, Junior Girls Golf Championship: Aida shoots lone sub-par round, takes one-shot lead over Yogya
Mumbai, May 19
Despite a slight wobble on the back nine, promising Aida Thimmaiah of Karnataka put her illustrious rivals in the shade on the opening day of the IGU Maharashtra Ladies and Junior Girls Golf Championship at the Willingdon Club here on Tuesday.
The 12-year-old shot the lone sub-par round (one-under 64) on a tough scoring day to take a one-shot lead over Yogya Bhalla. Ayesha Gupta, who won the overall title in the season opener, shot one-over 66 to sit a shot further back, while Mehak Lohan sat alone in fourth place with a 67.
The young Aida, playing in a higher category, began well with birdies on the third, fourth, sixth, and ninth holes. The lone blemish on the front nine came on the seventh, where she ended up with a three-putt. The greens were tough to read and putt on as they had recently undergone coring.
On the back nine, Aida, who finished No. 2 in Category 'C' (11-12) last year, dropped shots on the 10th, 13th and 16th holes. However, the Coorg girl picked up a shot on the 15th to take the overall lead for the first time in her fledgling career.
Karnataka's Aashna Amogha and Aaliyah Kalra of Haryana were tied for the lead with a score of six-over 71.
Leading scores (after 18 holes, Combined Ladies, Category 'A' (15-17 & 'B' (13-14): 64: Aida Thimmaiah (Karnataka); 65: Yogya Bhalla (Delhi); 66: Ayesha Gupta (Delhi); 67: Mehak Lohan (Haryana); 68: Rabab Kahlon (Punjab); 69: Janneya A Dasanniee (Gujarat), Ceerat Kang (Haryana); 70: Isha AR (Karnataka), Preitisha Gill (Haryana), Rianca Thimmaiah (Karnataka), Dia Cris Kumar (Karnataka).
Category 'C' (11-12): 71: Aashna Amogha (Karnataka), Aaliyah Kalra (Haryana); 72: Nandini Rathee (Haryana); 76: Vidushi Singh; 77: Gairat Kaur Kahlon (Punjab).
— ANI
Reader Comments
Adding Aida to my watch list. It's always exciting to see young talent breaking through. The fact that she led despite three-putting and back-nine issues shows her mental strength. Indian women's golf has a bright future if we keep nurturing players like her. Also, Ayesha Gupta's consistency is impressive - she won the season opener and is still in contention.
Fantastic to see a young talent like Aida Thimmaiah stepping up! But I feel the golf associations need to pay more attention to developing infrastructure in tier-2 cities. Not everyone can afford Willingdon Club membership. The real talent is in smaller towns - Coorg, Punjab, Haryana. Let's hope the prize money and sponsorships increase for ladies golf. Golf is still very elitist in India sadly. 🤔
Impressive field. The depth in Indian junior ladies golf is growing. Aida, Yogya, Ayesha - all within 3 shots after day one. This promises to be a tight finish. I also notice players from diverse regions - Karnataka, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat. Good to see the sport spreading. Would love to see more coverage of these events on national sports channels.
What a promising start for Aida! To lead at 12 is incredible. But I hope the pressure doesn't get to her - she mentioned it's her first time leading overall. The back-nine wobble shows nerves are natural. Also, special mention to Ceerat Kang and Preitisha Gill from Haryana shooting 69 - Haryana golf academy is really churning out talent. More power to women's sports in India! 💪⛳
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