Bengaluru golfer Vedika lies second in US Kids World Championship as Ojaswini is ninth

Khel Today Bureau

Pinehurst: Vedika Bhansali of Bengaluru and Ojaswini Saraswat of Mohali were the Indians in top-10 after the first day at the US Kids World Championship golf at Pinehurst Village.

Vedika with a bogey-free 3-under 33 was tied-second with five others and was one shot behind the leader, Audrey Zhang of the US, while Ojaswini Saraswat, a former medallist at the US Kids World Championship, was Tied-ninth in Girls 12 after a card of 2-under at Pinehurst No. 5. Ojaswini was runner-up in Girls 11 a year ago and is looking at going one better.

Vedika, who was fourth a year ago in Girls 8 category, had three birdies and Ojaswini, runner-up last year in Girls 11, had three birdies and dropped her only shot on the 18th at the Longleaf club.

Chandigarh golfer Nihal Cheema, who was runner-up on Boys 7 in 2024, had just one birdie against two bogeys in his nine-hole round at Mid Pines (Black). Cheema, playing in Boys 8 Category this year, was placed Tied-12th after the first day in the three-day event.

Results of the Indians at US Kids World Championships at Pinehurst:

The Indian boys were placed as follows:

Boys 8: Nihal Cheema (Boys 8, Chandigarh) T-12;

Boys 10: Kabir Goyal (Boys 10, Noida) shot 72 (T-33);

Boys 11: Sohraab Singh Talwar (Boys 11, Mohali) – 76 (T-50);

Boys 12: Adit Veeramachaneni (Boys 12, Bangalore) – 73 (T-23), Siddhant Sharma (Boys 12, Faridabad) 78 – (T-93) and Hridaan Saraogi (Boys 12, Jaipur) 79 (T-112).

The girls were placed as follows:

Girls 8: Pramati Veera (Girls 8, Bangalore) – 37 in 9-hole round (T-21), Naaysha S Sinha (Girls 8, Noida) 38 in 9-hole round (T-29);

Girls 9: Vedika Bhansali (Girls 9, Bangalore) 33 in 9-hole round (T-2); Ahana Shah (Girls 9, Mumbai) 41 (T-61), Suhani Chandra (Girls 9, Gurugram) 43 (T-75), Aahana Shrivastava (Girls 9, Gurugram) 44 (T-83);

Girls 11: Aida Thimmaiah (Girls 11, Bangalore) 75 (T-23);

Girls 12: Ojaswini Saraswat (Girls 12, Mohali) 70 (T-9).