Noida: Delhi youngster Vani Kapoor saw off a dual challenge from Gursimar Badwal and Smriti Mehra, carding 5 over 77 to secure the winner’s cheque after the final round of the 17th Leg of the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour 2015 at the Noida Golf Course here today. Gursimar Badwal finished second with a total score of 227. The INR 5,00,000 event culminated on Friday.

The Hero Order of Merit leader Vani Kapoor, who was at the top of the leaderboard throughout the tournament, was not in the best of form on the final day. Her round consisted of three birdies on the 1st, 10th and 15th holes, as against bogies on the 6th, 8th, 9th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 18th holes. This effort was however, still good enough for Vani to secure her fifth title of the year. The Delhi professional ended with a total score of 226 after 54 holes, to give her victory by a slender margin of one stroke over Gursimar Badwal.

Kapurthala’s Gursimar Badwal, who started the day in tied first position, came up with an effort of 6 over 78 to finish runners-up at the Noida Golf Course. She played a birdie-less front nine with two bogies on the 4th and 8th holes, along with a double on the 3rd. She began her back nine with a birdie on the 10th, but three more bogies on the 12th, 13th and 18th holes quashed all chances of her winning her maiden title, and she had to be content with another second place finish.

Kolkata’s Smriti Mehra and Delhi’s Gauri Monga ended with identical totals of 229 to finish tied third. Smriti Mehra started the day in tied first position but could not emulate her second day performance. She played a birdie-less round with bogies on the 1st, 5th, 6th, 9th, 11th and 15th holes, along with a double on the 4th, to return with a score of 8 over 80. Gauri Monga’s round of 5 over 77 included two birdies on the 8th and 17th holes as against five bogies on the 6th, 7th, 10th, 12th and 15th holes, along with a double on the 3rd.

Kolkata’s Neha Tripathi returned a card of 9 over 81 to total 232 after the final day. Her error-prone round included six bogies on the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 8th, 11th and 16th holes, and two doubles on the 14th and 15th. Her lone birdie of the day came on the 17th hole.

Overseas player Kiran Matharu returned with a score of 1 over 73, the best score of the day. Kiran, who returned to the tour after a gap of five months, fired in four birdies on the 2nd,9th, 12th and 14th holes, while dropping shots on the 7th, 13th and 18th holes, along with a double on the 8th. She finished with a total score of 234 after 54 holes. Her tally of four birdies was the best on the day.

Delhi’s Ankita Tiwana ended with a total score of 235 to finish seventh, followed by Panchkula’s Amandeep Drall in eighth place with a total of 237.Chandigarh’s Saaniya Sharma and amateur Tavleen Batra finished with identical totals of 240 to tie for the ninth position.

The Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour 2015 now moves to Jaipur for the final event of the season at Rambagh Golf Club.

Samikshan Dutta Choudhury