It's experience over age as Shruti emerges golf champ

Mumbai, Dec 15 (UNI) Experience won over youth, as seasoned campaigner Shruti Khanna from Delhi maintained her composure and consistent form to avoid any last minute surprises from the 16-year-old Shweta Galande and lift the title in the 57th Ladies Western India Open Amateur Golf Championships, which concluded at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club Course, Chembur here today.

Having spent 15 years on the amateur circuit and going into the last day with a four-stroke lead over Shweta, there were very little chances of Shruti slipping up and she played true to form, returning a card of seven over 79. Shweta, who had to do something spectacular on the final day to overhaul Shruti, fumbled when it mattered most, only managing a 11 over 81.

''If your opponents play better, then you also get encouragement to play better golf,'' said Shruti after the six-stroke victory.

Shruti began the day badly, going out over the front nine in 40 strokes. A double bogey on the first hole and another on the 5th were ominous signs, which only got worse with another bogey on the seventh. On the back nine too her poor form continued and she had a double bogey on the 11th, besides bogies on the 14th and 15th.

The opportunity did exist for Shweta to come in with a good round and wrest the lead from Shruti, but she too had a poor outing, finishing with a 11 over, her 42 on the front nine and 39 on the back nine telling the tale.

It was Shruti's second major title of 2006, having won the Eastern India Ladies Golf title at Kolkata in November. In October she finished runner up at the Punjab Ladies Golf Open and came third in the Chennai Open Ladies Golf and Noida Open Ladies Golf. The day's best score was recorded by Delhi's junior golfer Nalini Singh, who carded a 8 over 78.

Following are the final results (after 90 holes): Gold Division: Shruti Khanna (0) (Delhi) 314 (79, 77, 79, 79); Shweta Galande (-5) (Delhi) 320 (83,78, 78, 81); Rani Maheswari (-12) (Mumbai) 328 (85,77,83, 83); Shruti Naik (-8) (Delhi) 331 (83,81,83, 84); Nalini Singh (5) (Delhi) 334 (86, 84, 86, 78); Sania Sharma (-4) (Chandigarh) 335 (85,84,83, 83); Mani Chander (-8) (Chandigarh) 336 (82,87,84, 83); Sonia Malhotra (-10) (Mumbai) 337 (80,89,80,88 ); Shreya Ghei (9) (Delhi)342 (87,82, 87, 86); Aditi Mehta 342 (90, 83, 86, 83); Rajeswari Agarwal (-8) (Pune) 346 (84,81,87, 94).

Silver Division: Bunty Khanna 349 (90, 88, 88, 83); Preet Sodhi 354 (87, 88, 96, 83); Anuradha Yousuf 355 (90, 90, 88, 87); Blyth Jacqueline 375 (92, 92, 99, 92).

Bronze Division: Mita Gowande 416; Nimmi Gowrishankar 418; Gursimar Kaur 420; Sienda Madsen 424.

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