Sunawannapura claims Delhi title

Thidapa Sunawannapura secured the fourth Thai win from seven editions of the Hero Women's Indian Open when she maintained her overnight lead to triumph by three shots at the venerable Delhi Golf Club.

The 21-year-old from Bangkok opened with a 66 to share the lead after the first round and held her advantage throughout the tournament, moving a stroke clear with a second round 74 and then extending her lead to three with a final round 68.

With a winning total of eight-under-par, she ended ahead of her first round co-leader, Valentine Derrey from France, who recorded her second runner-up finish in as many months.

Thailand's Pornanong Phatlum won this event three times before Sunawannapura - in 2008, 2009 and 2012 - while another Thai player, Saraporn Chamchoi, finished in a tie for third this year, alongside England's Hannah Burke.

The final round was played in hot and sunny conditions perfect for golf and Beth Allen of the United States closed with a sizzling six-under-par 66 to share fifth place with England's 17-year-old rookie Charley Hull and the leading Indian player, amateur Gauri Monga.

Sunawannapura, who has a full card on the LPGA, began the final round one clear of Hull and Derrey, but immediately extended her lead to two strokes at five-under-par after a birdie on the first hole.

Although Derrey twice caught the leader, after six and eight holes respectively, Sunawannapura made a downhill putt for birdie from 18 feet on the tricky par-4 ninth to reach six-under and go one stroke clear at the turn.

Hull, still only one behind after seven holes, dropped shots on the 10th and 13th and her excellent birdie from close range on the short 17th was too little, too late. She said: "I played alright. I had a few loose shots but I felt like the last round I would have benefited from an experienced caddie."

Meanwhile, Sunawannapura birdied 13 and 14 to build a three stroke cushion at eight-under-par.

"I'm very happy. I never thought I was going to win this tournament. This is like the biggest tournament that I've won and it's a part of my dream," said Sunawannapura, whose only other professional victory was the Vidalia Tour Championship on the US Symetra Tour in 2012.

"My dad told me this morning, if I could win this tournament, he would be very proud. I will go back to Thailand and hang out with my dad and mum."

The Ladies Asian Golf Tour member, whose other passion besides golf is table tennis, added: "Today I was concentrating on my game all day and was not looking at anyone else. I didn't see them at all. All my mind was concentrating on golf. I played my game and tried to make it good, play my best. I knew that I was leading but I didn't know by how much."

Derrey, who is yet to win on the LET, made three birdies and one bogey on the front nine and came back with nine steady pars, but said: "I didn't make the putts on 11, 12 and 14 and she made birdie on 14 and 15 and was already one ahead of me, so that made a three shot difference. I almost made my birdie putt on 16 but missed the green on 17 and by 18 it was too late.

"I'm satisfied. I've finished second twice and third in the last three months so I hope that Dubai will be my week. If not, I'll wait until 2014. Every week I'm getting more experience and I'm sure that the day will come."

Burke, who also awaits her first professional title, said: "I'm very pleased. It was a very testing course and you had to be patient so I'm proud."

Reflecting on the tight and treacherous golf course, Allen added: "This golf course is really tough. The key is just to keep it in play and the difference between my first two rounds and today was just my approach shots. I kept it in play all week but I hit it very close the first two rounds and holed nothing. I had one birdie the first two rounds and today I had seven."

The Ladies European Tour now moves to the United Arab Emirates for the final tournament of the 2013 season, the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters, taking place at Emirates Golf Club from December 4-7.

Hull will be contending for the Rolex Rookie of the Year Award along with her maiden title on her first visit to the emirate and said: "I really can't wait to get to Dubai, to be honest. I'm so excited and I've been counting down the days because I've never been before and I've heard it's really good."

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History beckons for Scott

Adam Scott extended his lead at the top of the Australian Open leaderboard to four shots after he carded a 68 at Royal Sydney on Saturday.

The Masters champion's highly-anticipated duel with former world number one didn't deliver on its second round promise as the Australian reached 16-under after 54 holes, four better than McIlroy, who followed up his 65 on Friday with a third round 70.

Victory for Scott would not only make him the second player ever to win the Australian Triple Crown - The Open, Masters and PGA Championship - after Robert Allenby achieved the feat in 2005, he would become the first player to win the three Aussie majors as well as Norman Von Nida Order of Merit Medal.

"What Adam has already achieved over the last four weeks is remarkable," Brian Thorburn, Chief Executive Officer of the PGA of Australia, told the Tour's official website.

"It's already been a history-making year for the US Masters champion and tomorrow Adam has another chance to do what no other person has ever done.

"On behalf of all of Adam's fellow PGA and PGA Tour of Australasia Members I wish him the best of luck."

McIlroy turned six shots behind Scott after he fluffed two chips en route to a double bogey, but responded well on the back nine and could have cut the deficit to three had he not missed a routine putt on the final hole.

Eight shots off the pace in third place is Matt Jones after he carded a 72 on Saturday, while Max McCardle (69) and Richard Green (73) are tied for fourth, another shot further behind.

Previous winner Stuart Appleby (67) is on seven-under in a tie for sixth place, alongside Nathan Holman (68), Scott Arnold (69) and Leigh McKechnie (71).

Jason Day carded a 66 on the day to move up to six-under, which just about gives him an opportunity to chase down Scott on the final round should he card a course record.

"It's a long shot but, if I can go out tomorrow and the leaders are not too far away and I shoot a low one, maybe I can catch them," Day said.

The 18-year-old Anthony Murdaca (66) and Brady Watt (73) lead a trio of amateurs that are in the top 20 going into the final round and are currently on five-under.

The 15-year-old Ryan Ruffels reached six-under late in his round, but carded a double bogey on the 17th to drop one shot behind his fellow amateurs with a third round 68.

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Schwartzel joins Madsen at the top

Morten Orum Madsen produced an eventful round to stay in front at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, but Charl Schwartzel is keeping him company.

The duo will be the last pairing out at Leopard Creek on Saturday morning after they finished with a total of eight-under-par 136.

Having carded an opening round seven-under-par 65 on Thursday, Madsen had to settle for a second round of one under 71 that included two double bogeys, two bogeys, an eagle and five birdies.

The Dane, who won the South African Open last week, started on the back nine and it all went wrong on the par-5 13th as he dropped two shots, but he quickly made up for it with three birdies before the turn.

He was a roll as he eagled the par-five second hole, but lost his way again as he went bogey, bogey, double bogey in his next three holes. He birdied two of the final four holes to end the day under par.

Defending champion Schwartzel enjoyed less adventurous day as he produced a flawless four-under-par 68 to claim a share of top spot.

Ross Fischer and Soren Hansen produced the rounds of the day as their seven-under-par 65s saw them move into a share of third place. Englishman Fischer, who started on the back nine, had an eagle at the 18th, but he immediately threw it away at the next hole as he double bogeyed the first while Hansen dropped a shot at the fifth.

South African Tyrone van Aswegen and Richard Finch of England are another shot back at six under with Danny Willet part of a group of five at four under.

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Scott secures Aussie Order of Merit

Adam Scott can do no wrong at the moment as the world number two has wrapped up the PGA Tour of Australasia's Order of Merit title.

Although there are still two rounds left in the Australian Open, Scott can no longer be caught as he is now Aus$68,557 ahead of his nearest challenger, Korean-born Jin Jeong.

While Scott leads the event by two shots ahead of the weekend, Australian-based Jeong missed the cut after rounds of 73 and 76, handing the title to the Masters winner, who also won the Australian PGA Championship and Australian Masters earlier this month.

"I won the Order of Merit in 2005 so it's nice to again finish the year as Australasian Tour number one even though it has not been quite a year-long season down here in Australia for me," said Scott.

"It's also not the same as finishing the PGA Tour as number one or winning the European Tour Order of Merit but then it still is something you have got to achieve and one day I will sit down and look back on all the achievements and accolades and feel proud of all that I have done.

"But then the icing on the cake this year would be to win the Triple Crown and that still remains the big goal this week."

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Wet and windy conditions scuppered Adam Scott and put McIlroy in contention at Open

BULLISH Irish star Rory McIlroy believes he can end the title streak of Adam Scott - and his own year-long drought - after firing himself into contention at the Australian Open.

A day after Scott's record-breaking opening round, McIlroy went on his own birdie blitz to shoot a seven under 65 and move into a share of the lead after his Friday morning round.

As wet and windy conditions grew worse in the afternoon, a battling Scott briefly fell into second before rallying to finish with a two-shot lead, courtesy of a bogey-strewn 70.

The world's second and sixth-ranked stars will go head to head in a dream pairing Saturday, and after it seemed Scott's tournament alone on Thursday, the snakes-and-ladders events of Friday have thrown it wide open.

McIlroy has suffered through a year of poor form and introspection but the peacock strut was back on display after a nine-birdie haul, and the former world No. 1 wasn't afraid to thrown down the gauntlet to Scott.

Asked if he felt he could beat the US Masters champ (prior to Scott's round), McIlroy said: "I feel like I have the game to do that, as long as he doesn't get too far ahead and I'm within striking distance going into the weekend.

"I feel like I can shoot a couple more scores similar to today and have a great chance."

"I feel like I'm playing well. I'm hitting the ball well off the tee and giving myself plenty of chances."

McIlroy credited easier morning conditions than expected and rain-softened greens for his round, but as was the case on day one, Scott and the later groups were buffeted by up to "five club" winds in the afternoon at Royal Sydney.

Though he made seven birdies, the tricky conditions elicited three bogeys and a double-bogey from Scott as well.

"It was really blowing … it was always going to be a day where you have to just hang on," Scott said.

"Bogeys out there easy to come by today, if you were just slightly off. Probably most scorecards would have looked similar this afternoon."

The majority of the afternoon scorecards did, at least. Hampered by a stiff back, Jason Day shot a 74 to finish even and only just avoided the cut. Robert Allenby birdied the last to get to one over and do likewise.

Former Australian Open champions Peter Senior - who shot 81 - and Greg Chalmers weren't so lucky, and both missed out.

Richard Green aced the par 3 sixth on his way to a 66 and finished third on the leaderboard at 9 under, ahead of Australia's dominant Asian Tour star Matt Jones (8 under).

Leigh McKechnie (65) equalled McIlroy for the round of the day to finish in a share of equal fifth in six under; alongside Alistair Presnell, Josh Younger and star amateur Brady Watt.

Geoff Ogilvy turned a day one 74 into a strong 66 yesterday and fifteen-year-old sensation Ryan Ruffels showed his unlimited potential by rallying from a horror first day to shoot a 67 - the sixth best round of the day - and, remarkably, make the cut on debut in the Australian Open.

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Richard Green scores hole-in-one at Australian Open

THE first thing Richard Green did after hitting a hole-in-one at Royal Sydney was spin around to see what he'd won.

As usual, it was nothing. There was no car, no speedboat and no big novelty cheque so Green had to be happy with an ace that kicked him up the to third on the Australian Open leaderboard.

"They're always nice to get," Green said.

"I had a bit of a quick glance around to see if there was a car or something there but no, unfortunately. In New Zealand I was a day short of $100,000 or something. But anyway, it's just the luck of it, isn't it?"

After a steady opening round, Green had moved into the top five when he arrived at the 143m, par-three sixth. Using a brand new set of clubs, the left "flushed" an eight iron and watched it bounce twice and curl into the hole.

It was his fourth professional ace.

"I had one in the New Zealand Open years ago, one in the American Express Tournament I think it was, one of the world golf championships in San Francisco probably about nine years ago now is the last one and then this one is the one I can remember. I think the other couple that I've had have just been in social golf," Green said.

There is a Volvo is up for grabs for a hole-in-one at the tournament but at the 14th, and only on the last day.

But Green, who plays on the European Tour, was more than content with a round of 66 that felt as clean as he'd hit the ball in years.

"It's nice to build a bit of confidence from hitting good shots again," Green said.

"It was a very nice day. I've been struggling a little bit of late with my game and changed a few things, changed my clubs, changed my driver; just about everything this week and it's just started to show some good signs again. I haven't hit shots like I have the last two days for a long time, probably about three years. It's building, confidence is building."

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Ryan Ruffels, 15, makes the cut in his Australian Open debut

MOST kids his age will get driven to Saturday sport this morning.

Fifteen-year-old Ryan Ruffels will be doing all his own driving at Royal Sydney this weekend, however, after the amateur golf prodigy defied expectation and made the cut in his Australian Open debut.

Ruffels, who played practice rounds with Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy over the past fortnight, looked long odds to join the big boys on moving day after a "horrendous" opening round saw him blow out to seven over from seven holes.

He clawed back to four over and a superb five-under-par 67 from the teenager on Friday saw Ruffels climb up the leaderboard and past the cut mark of one over.

"I am really proud of myself that I have been able to (make the cut)," Ruffels said.

"I was pretty nervous coming into today because I didn't want to embarrass myself. It was pretty embarrassing yesterday. I wanted to grind out and see if I could show I had a bit of heart and make the cut, and I was able to do that even though I wasn't hitting it well."

A hot putter helped resolve some wayward ball-striking, Ruffels added, including several long bombs that gave him birdies and even an eagle on the par 5 16th.

Ruffels said the tournament thus far had done wonders for his confidence, but on any measure of the teenagers' remarkable maturity, self-belief isn't a quality he lacks.

The son of former Aussie tennis professional and coach Ray Ruffels isn't satisfied to simply make the cut in the Australian Open; he is computing what he needs to do to be in contention tomorrow.

"I just need to start hitting it a bit better. If I putt the way I did today and hit a few more greens, I will be for a low one tomorrow," he said.

"I will have to have a really low one to get in contention but if I can shoot five under and not play great, if I can start hitting the ball well I can possibly get myself up there.

"Yesterday was horrendous for confidence but to fight back those last 13 holes and to have that sort of round today was awesome. It is going to do wonders for my confidence and has done wonders for my confidence."

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Scott leads but McIlroy lurks

Adam Scott struggled to a two-under par 70 at the Australian Open on Friday and leads the event by two shots from Rory McIlroy after two rounds.

The Masters champion battled with the wind at Royal Sydney during the later stages of his round after picking up two birdies in the first three holes.

As the driving rain and strong wind started to take its toll, the Australian world number two carded three bogeys and one double bogey during his two-under par round, although those were cancelled out with five more birdies.

McIlroy benefited from the milder conditions earlier in the day after carded a 65 to finish his second round on 10-under, two shots behind Scott, who broke the course record with a 62 on Thursday.

"It was a tough afternoon, plenty of good stuff in there but made a few mistakes in the tricky conditions," Scott told reporters after the round.

"At times, it was extremely difficult and I think I held it together pretty well.

"It was going to be a day for hanging in. I made lots of birdies but bogeys were easy to come by if you were just slightly off and probably most scorecards would have looked similar this afternoon."

McIlroy, who has dropped down to number six in the world after starting the year as the world's top player, seemed to be growing in confidence as his round progressed and made up some ground on the leader after starting the round seven shots behind.

"As seven-unders go, I think it was a pretty comfortable one. I don't think I did anything really spectacular out there," the Northern Irishman admitted.

"It feels good, I played well, putted much better today than I did yesterday too, so that was a big positive. I'm in a great position going into the weekend."

A host of Australians make up the rest of the leaderboard, with Richard Green another stroke behind McIlroy on nine-under following his second round 66.

In fourth place is Mathew Jones on eight-under after carding his second 68 of the tournament on Friday, while Leigh McKechnie (65), Alistair Presnell (71) and Josh Younger (69) are two strokes further behind on six-under.

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