Mumbai: Gursimar Badwal carded 2-under 68 in the final round to win the fifth leg of the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour at the Bombay Presidency Golf Club here on Thursday. Gursimar played consistent golf throughout the week and claimed her maiden professional title by a comfortable margin of six shots. Kolkata’s Neha Tripathi finished runner-up with a total score of 215. The INR 6,00,000 event culminated on Thursday.
Overnight leader Gursimar Badwal, who has been within striking distance of victory on several occasions in the past but has faltered at key moments in her campaign, was the hallmark of composure today. She played a blemish free front –nine with two birdies on the 4th and 7th holes. She added another birdie on the 13th hole while dropping just one shot on the 11th to finish with a total score of 209 after 54 holes.
Neha Tripathi carded a birdie on the 2nd hole while dropping shots on the 6th and 7th. She played with much more purpose on her return journey, firing four birdies on the 10th,12th, 17th and 18th holes along with a lone bogey on the 13th. She too finished the round with a score of 2 under 68 to take the second position.
Delhi’s Mehar Atwal carded 2 over 72 in the final round to take the third place. She carded three birdies on the 3rd, 10th and 16th holes along with bogeys on the 7th, 9th and 15th. She also carded a double bogey on the 12thhole to finish the round with a total score of 216.
Kolkata’s Smriti Mehta and Pune’s Shweta Galande finished tied fourth with identical totals of 219 after the final round. Shweta’s card of 3 over 73 on the day included four bogeys on the 2nd, 11th, 12th and 15th holes. She carded the lone birdie of the round on the 13th hole. Smriti Mehra played a birdie-less front nine with bogeys on the 7th and 9th holes. On her way in, she carded two birdies on the 10th and 16th holes along with bogeys on the 11th, 13th and 15th. She also carded a double bogey on the 18th hole to finish the round with a score of 5 over 75.
The Delhi duo of Mehak Sharma and Gauri Maunga finished tied sixth with identical totals of 220, followed by Hero Motocorp sponsored Sharmila Nicollet and Delhi’s Ankita Tiwana at tied eighth with a score of 221.
The Tour now moves to Pune for the sixth leg to be played at the Oxford Golf Resort from 1st to 4th March.