Golfer Amandeep eager to defend her title

Buoyed by a comfortable victory in his last event, Amandeep Drall will look to defend her title in the 11th leg of the Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour 2016 at the picturesque Prestige Golfshire here.

The Rs 7,00,000 event featuring 16 professionals will commence at the par-72 scenic golf course in the Nandi Hills here on Wednesday.

Amandeep claimed her maiden professional title at the same venue last year and would look to do an encore. She is currently placed fourth in the Order of Merit with total earnings of Rs 6,33,534 and would be keen to improve her position on the list.

Another strong contender for the title is Delhi youngster Vani Kapoor. She has been in dream form all season, winning five titles in six appearances. She missed the last tournament due to illness and will look to make a winning comeback to regain the top position in the money ranking. She is currently placed second with total earnings of Rs 6,98,200.

Amandeep and Vani, however, will find Neha Tripathi, Gursimar Badwal and local girl Sharmila Nicollet standing in their way.

Kolkata's Neha Tripathi currently leads the Order of Merit with total earnings of Rs 7,12,433, winning two titles in 10 appearances this season. She made a superb comeback to finish second at the Karnataka Golf Association (KGA) course last week. She will look to improve her performance and consolidate her position atop the money list.

Kapurthala's Gursimar Badwal is placed third in the Order of Merit with total earnings of Rs 6,54200 with one victory and one runner-up finish to her name. She will be hoping to put forth another strong display and move up the Hero Order of Merit. Hero MotoCorp sponsored Sharmila Nicollet hasn't had a good run so far. She will be keen to make an impact and grab her maiden title of the season.

Other players in the fray are Chandigarh's Saaniya Sharma, the Delhi trio of Ankita Tiwana, Gauri Monga and Meher Atwal, and Pune's Shweta Galande.

--IANS

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