Thailand’s Chapchai Nirat began his bid to end a four-year title drought by grabbing a share of the lead with six-under 66 at the SAIL-SBI Open yesterday.
Armed with a hot putter, the 29-year-old Thai nailed eight birdies, against two bogeys, at the par-72 Delhi Golf Club to jointly lead the Asian Tour event he famously won four years back with local rookie Khalin Joshi.
Nicknamed “King Kong” for his big-hitting game, Chapchai set a Tour record 72-hole total with his 32-under 256 victory in 2009 at a different course on the outskirts of New Delhi.
Seeking his fourth Asian Tour title, he displayed signs of the same ominous form in yesterday’s opening round.
“My putting was very good today,” he said. “I stuck to my new putting routine and didn’t take too much time over my putts. I feel confident for the rest of the week.”
Playing his maiden Asian Tour event as professional, 20-year-old Joshi missed what could have been his 10th birdie from 10 feet on his final hole to share the lead with Chapchai.
“I putted really well today. I’ve been hitting the ball well the past few weeks, but the putter was hot today, made quite a few,” Joshi said. “I’m going to approach the rest of the week like how I did today, just play within myself. This is the first week I am not playing with my driver. I’ll do that the whole week. Just keep the same attitude.”
South Korean-American Chan Kim came up with a couple of chip-in birdies to move into contention in his rookie season on the Asian Tour.
“I was pretty shocked when I got here,” said the 22-year-old, who trailed the leaders by a shot after sinking six birdies and a bogey in the opening round.
“My partners in Myanmar were telling me how narrow it [the fairway] was, and I looked online and it didn’t look as narrow, but when I stepped on the first tee on Monday, I kind of got a taste of how it really is,” Chan said.
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
After nearly six years away from the NBA, New Taipei Kings player Jeremy Lin (林書豪) is set to participate in the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend’s Rising Stars mini-tournament as the coach of Team G League. The NBA announced Monday (U.S. time) that the Taiwanese-American player will join a trio of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers – Tim Hardaway Sr., Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond – as honorary coaches for four teams featuring 28 rising talents. "See you soon in the Bay," Lin wrote in an Instagram story sharing the news. As the All-Star Weekend will take place at
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38