Golfer Sharmila claims first title of 2015

Overnight leader Shamila Nicollet carded 1 under 71 on the final day of the Rs.6 lakh 15th leg of Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour at the Jaypee Greens on Friday to claim her first title this season.

Amandeep Drall finished with a total score of 215 to take second position, three strokes behind Sharmila.

Sharmila was in good form and started impressively. She played a bogey-free front nine with birdies on the sixth and eighth holes. However, she could not sustain the momentum in her back nine and carded three bogeys on the 10th, 12th and 15th.

But birdies on the 11th and 13th were enough to secure her a three stroke victory over Amandeep. The Bengaluru pro finished with a total score of 212 after 54 holes.

Rookie Amandeep carded 1 over 73 in the final round to finish second. She started the pursuit of her third title on a positive note, and like Sharmila, played a blemish-free front nine with birdies on the first and fifth.

She too faltered in the latter half, dropping three shots on the 12th, 13th and 17th and had to settle for second position. The Panchkula pro has been impressive in her rookie year and this is her fourth runner-up finish along with two victories.

Order of Merit leader Vani Kapoor and Kolkata's Neha Tripathi finished with identical totals of 220 to tie for third place. Delhi's Vani was the best player in the field on Friday. Her flawless bogey-free round of 4 under 68 included birdies on the ninth, 10th, 11th and 13th.

Neha Tripathi had an indifferent day. She played a birdie-less front nine with bogeys on the third and fourth holes along with a double on the ninth. She dropped two more shots on the 15th and 18th but birdies on the 12th, 14th and 17th helped her control the damage and she finished with 3 over 75.

Veteran Smriti Mehra came up with an effort of 2 over 74 in the final round to finish fifth. Her card included three birdies on the 10th, 11th and 13th along with an equal number of bogeys on the second, fourth and seventh. She also carded a double bogey on the sixth to finish at 221.

Amateur Diksha Dagar was sixth, finishing with 225. Her 2 over 74 included three birdies along with two bogeys and a triple bogey. Kapurthala's Gursimar Badwal finished seventh with 228 followed by amateurs Tvesa Malik and Anisha Padukone in eighth and ninth.

The tour now moves to the historic Delhi Golf Club for the 16th leg which will be played from September 9 to 11. The tour comprises 19 legs spanning across India.