Bengaluru: Defending champion Vani Kapoor will look to capitalise on her fine form and continue her good run in the 12th leg of the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour to be played at the picturesque Prestige Golfshire here. The INR 6,00,000 event will see 16 professionals and Trisha Sunil, the lone amateur vying for the top spot, and will be played from 22nd to 24th July 2015.
Hero Order of Merit leader Vani Kapoor, with total earnings of INR 11,80,200, has already posted four wins and four runners-up finishes this year, the latest being at KGA. Vani who has won twice at the Prestige Golfshire in 2012 and 2014,will be keen to add another title to her tally and extend the lead at the top of the leaderboard.
The Delhi golfer will however face a strong challenge from rookie golfer Amandeep Drall, who is second in the Order of Merit with total earnings of INR 7,64,935. The Panchkula golfer, who is making her debut appearance here, is yet to win a professional title and has finished runners-up on three occasions this season. Amandeep will be eager to break the jinx and reduce the gap with Vani in the money list.
Hero Motocorp sponsored Sharmila Nicollet, who returned to the tour last week after a gap of three events, will also start as one of the strong contenders. The local sensation who finished third at the KGA is yet to win a title this year. She will look to end her title drought at the Prestige Golfshire.
Other golfers in the fray will be Kolkata’s Neha Tripathi and Kapurthala’s Gursimar Badwal. Neha is currently sitting at fourth position in the money list with total earnings of INR 7,10,766. Trailing her is Gursimar with total earnings of INR 5,51,366.
Veteran Smriti Mehra, who is third in the merit list, has opted out of this event.
Chandigarh’s Saaniya Sharma who finished tied 7th in the last event is also expected to mount a challenge for the title.
Mehar Atwal, Gauri Monga and Afshan Fatima will all be making their maiden appearances at this venue. Pune’s Shweta Galande who lost in the play-off against Vani last year, will also be looking to make amends and win her first title since 2013.
The par 72 golf course, which is located at the foot of the scenic Nandi Hills on the edge of Lake Karehalli, is one of the most beautiful courses in India and is all set to pose a tough challenge to the golfers. The Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour 2015 comprises a total of nineteen legs spanning across key locations in India.
