Noida: Delhi youngster Vani Kapoor will draw inspiration from her stellar domestic form and look to return to winning ways at the 17th leg of the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour 2015 to be played at the picturesque Noida Golf Course. The INR 5,00,000 event will feature 13 professionals and lone amateur Tavleen Batra vying for top honours, and will be played from 18th – 20thNovember.
Vani Kapoor currently leads the Hero Order of Merit with total earnings of INR 15,56,400 and has posted four wins in 16 appearances this season. While she leads the order of merit, her last win came at the Eagleton in the 10th Leg of the HWPGT 2015 . A win here will stretch her unassailable lead furthermore at the top of the leaderboard. Vani, who finished as the best Indian professional at the recently concluded Hero Women’s Indian Open 2015 last month, will however face a strong challenge from Punchkula’s Amandeep Drall.
The Punchkula rookie, who is currently occupying the second place in the order of merit with earnings of INR 12,69,935, has registered two wins from 16 appearances and is the outright favourite to win the Rookie of the Year award. She has been one of the most consistent players this year and will push Vani to the hilt to secure her third win this season.
Kolkata’s Neha Tripathi, sitting third in the money list with total earnings of INR 10,41,366, will be eager to register her first win this year. Neha, who has been guilty of letting potentially winning situations slip away, will look to break the jinx and end her title drought.
Kolkata’s Smriti Mehra is currently on the fourth position with earnings of INR 8,32,500, also has two wins. She will be aiming for a top finish in the penultimate event of the season. Kapurthala’s Gursimar Badwal occupying the fifth position in the money list with total of INR 7,35,566 will also be hoping for her first professional title.
This event will also mark the return of English player Kiran Matharu after a gap of five months. She has already won twice this season and will be eager to add another title to her tally.
Other players to watch out for will be Chandigarh’s Saaniya Sharma, Pune’s Shweta Galande and the Delhi trio of Mehar Atwal, Gauri Monga and Ankita Tiwana.
Hero Motocorp sponsored Sharmila Nicollet is the notable absentee from the event.
The par 72 golf course is one of the most challenging in Northern India and test the skill of the golfer. The Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour 2015 comprises a total of 18 legs spanning across key locations in India.
