Mane best Indian at 12th, Sinnott leads in Asia-Pacific C'ship

India's Udayan Mane was lying tied 12th after an even par 72 in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at the famed Royal Melbourne Golf Club here.
Mane, who was tied fourth at the Asian Games and missed a medal by a whisker, was the best among the Indians on the opening day of the event yesterday.
Among other Indians, Rigel Fernandes (74) was 30th, Viraj Madappa (75) was tied 38th, Aman Raj (78) was 57th, Syed Saqib Ahmed (80) was 75th and Manu Gandas (82) was 85th.
Australia's Todd Sinnott holds the first-round lead after a fine five-under-par 67. Sinnott, 22, is renowned in elite amateur circles for his long hitting, but today he played the Composite Course at Royal Melbourne like an expert, deploying two irons off the tee and using his driver just twice.

He also had the good fortune of the benign early morning conditions that favoured all the players on that side of the draw, rolling in seven birdie putts including a 10-footer at the 17th hole and a 20-footer at the 18th to complete an outstanding day.
Sinnott leads the championship by a shot over the 2012 winner, China's Guan Tianlang, who was steady all day and carded a four-under 68 with five birdies and one bogey.

Australia's Antonio Murdaca, Chieh-Po Lee of China and Tawan Phongphun of Thailand all are at three-under.
Sinnott lives in the Melbourne suburb of Williamstown, plays his golf at Metropolitan Golf Club, also in the famous Sandbelt just a few miles away, and estimated that he had played Royal Melbourne at least 30 times, including the past four years in an elite amateur tournament, the Master of the Amateurs.

With a place in the 2015 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club and a qualifying berth for the Open Championship at St Andrews on offer this week, Sinnott said he would focus on the process.
"Once I'm out there, it's just trying to keep my ball in position and hit my spots. But it is a nice little prize," he said.