Indian sports news wrap, August 14

The major developments from the world of sports on August 14 where Indians took part are as follows:

GOLF

Lahiri finishes runner-up in Liv Golf at New Jersey, Smith wins

India’s Anirban Lahiri earned a big paycheque with a second-place finish at LIV Golf Bedminster, firing an aggregate of 5-under at the event.

Lahiri, the only Indian playing in the Liv Series, shot rounds of 74-64-70, totalling 5-under and finishing behind Australia’s Cameron Smith (66-67-68), who aggregated 12-under.

Smith’s team Rippers also won the team title while Lahiri’s side, led by Bryson DeChambeau, was second.

It was the third runner-up finish for Lahiri on the LIV Golf Tour. He was second at the Boston Invitational in 2022 and again finished runners-up in Adelaide.

He earned $2.25 million for his second place but it also included $375,000 as his share of the prize money in the team event.

Smith won $4 million for his title triumph.

This was the second runners-up finish for Lahiri this season. He has had four more top-20 finishes and is currently 15th in the player standings.

Lahiri, starting from the first tee, dropped a shot on the second. He birdied the third, only to drop another shot on the sixth. He picked back-to-back bridies on the 15th and 16th for a 70 that gave him a total of 5-under, which was seven behind the winner.

Lahiri had shot 7-under 64 on the second day, which had catapulted him into contention.

The winning team of Rippers included Cameron Smith, Jediah Morgan, Matt Jones and Marc Leishman.

The Crushers comprised Bryson DeChambeau, Anirban Lahiri, Charles Howell III and Paul Casey.

– PTI

Jeev shoots even par, stays in Top-10 at Legends event

Indian golfer Jeev Milkha Singh remained in the Top-10 despite a roller-coaster ride in the second round of the Legend Tour Trophy.

Starting his second round in Tied-sixth place, Jeev birdied the first and the third holes to move up but three bogeys between the 10th and 14th pulled him back.

The 51-year-old Indian legend found a late birdie on the 17th to get back even par and at 4-under 144, he was Tied-ninth with one more round to go at Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel & Country Club.

It has been a good run for Jeev, who was T-14 at the Senior Open in Royal Porthcawl in Wales and then fifth at JCB Championships which was cut short to 36 holes due to inclement weather.

Jeev is playing in Seniors Tours in Europe and Japan, and also a lot of events on the Asian Tour.

– PTI

India Cements-Pro golf championship to be held in Chennai

Om Prakash Chouhan, the Tata Steel-PGTI ranking leader, Aman Raj and Bangladesh’s Jamal Hossain will be the star attractions in the India Cements-Pro golf championship to be held at Cosmo-TNGF course here from August 16 to 19.

The Pro-Am event will be held on August 15. The prize money for the tournament is Rs. 50 lakh, the highest ever for a golf event in the city.

Uttam Singh Mundy, CEO of PGTI, while thanking N. Srinivasan (Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, India Cements) for coming forward to sponsor the tournament, said that the course was in great shape but “the unwanted rain has been bit of a dampener. We hope the weather gods will be kind.”

H. R. Srinivasan, Joint president of PGTI, said the course has been in “absolute outstanding shape.”

The event will witness the participation of 126 golfers including 123 professionals and three amateurs. The other leading Indian professionals in the field include Karan Pratap Singh, Sachin Baisoya and Gaurav Pratap Singh, to name a few.

Golfers from Sri Lanka, Japan and Nepal will also be taking part. The local challenge will be led by Chennai-based golfers, C. Arul, Sandeep Syal and S. Prasanth.

– Team Sportstar

CUE SPORT

Maiden title for Mohammed Arshad

Down 2-4 after six frames, the seasoned V.M. Mohammed Arshad made a brilliant comeback and won his maiden Kerala State 6-Red Snooker Championship at the Cue Masters Pro, Vazhakkala.

Arshad, from Ernakulam and a former five-time State snooker champion, defeated his Gymkhana Club-mate Sanjay Nair 6-5 after taking four of the last five frames in the final.

– Stan Rayan

BASKETBALL

India loses to Kazakhstan after consecutive wins in FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament Asia 2023

The Indian men’s basketball team lost to Kazakhstan 73-75 in the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament Asia 2023 in Damascus on Monday.

The Indian men’s basketball team defeated hosts Syria 85-74 in its opening match. Later, it beat Indonesia 90-74 in its second match.

Six countries – India, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Syria – compete in the Asian leg of the Olympic pre-qualifiers basketball tournament for the Paris 2024 Games.

Only the top team from the event will advance to the final Olympic basketball qualifying tournament scheduled in 2024.

– Team Sportstar

CRICKET

Maharaja Trophy: Shivamogga Lions defeats Mangalore Dragon by nine runs

Shreyas Gopal’s all-round effort (46 and 1/30) and Abhinav Manohar’s 25-ball half-century (50) helped Shivamogga Lions defeat Mangalore Dragons by nine runs in the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday.

Asked to bat first, the Lions had a decent PowerPlay, scoring 50 runs, but slowed down in the middle overs, reaching only 103 by the 15 overs mark. But Shreyas (46, 32b, 1×4, 3×6) and Abhinav (50, 25b, 1×4, 5×6) combined for 93 fourth-wicket runs from just 48 balls to swell their team’s total. M.G. Naveen was the best bowler for the Dragons, picking up four of the five wickets to fall (4/19).

The Mangaluru side stuttered at the start of the chase, and was 76 for five at one stage. K.V. Siddharth (46 n.o., 35b, 1×4, 3×6) and Aniruddha Joshi (50, 31b, 3×4, 4×6) brought the Dragons back with an 83-run partnership for the sixth wicket.

But V. Koushik’s dismissal of Joshi when 18 runs was required off eight balls turned the tide. When the big-hitting K. Gowtham fell three balls later, it was curtains.

In the day’s second match, Hubli Tigers made it two wins in a row, beating defending champion Gulbarga Mystics by seven wickets. Chasing a modest 139, Tigers rode on Luvnith Sisodia’s quickfire 61 (40b, 5×4, 3×6) and K.L. Shrijith’s 47 (32b, 5×4, 1×6) to complete the job with 28 balls to spare.

– N.Sudarshan