Golfer Sharmila eyes encore at DGC

Upbeat from her first victory of the season, Bengaluru's Sharmila Nicollet will start as the firm favourite at the 16th leg of the Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour to be played at the historic Delhi Golf Club (DGC).

The Rs.6 lakh event featuring 17 professionals and four amateurs will be played from September 9 to 11.

Sharmila came up with a dominating performance at the Jaypee Greens to register her first victory of the season. She would be keen to sustain the winning run and register her second victory before the Women's Indian Open. She is currently placed in eighth spot in the money list with total earnings of Rs.6,02,266 in nine appearances.

Sharmila, however, will find Vani Kapoor and Amandeep Drall standing in her way. Vani currently leads the Order of Merit with earnings of Rs.15,01,200 in 15 appearances. The Delhi youngster has four victories and six runners-up finishes this season but she hasn't been her best in the last few events and would be eager to turn things around.

Rookie Amandeep Drall has had a dream run in her rookie year and is currently second in the money list with total earnings of Rs.11,49,935 in 15 appearances. The Panchkula pro will be eager to catch the leader and add to her tally of two victories.

Kolkata's Neha Tripathi is yet to register a win this year and will push hard for victory. She has been guilty of faltering at key moments on multiple occasions and will be keen to make amends. She is currently third in the money list with Rs.10,13,766 from 15 appearances.

Veteran Smriti Mehra, currently fourth with Rs.7,77,300, has posted two wins from 10 appearances and will be a force to reckon with.

Local girl Gauri Monga is another player to watch out for. She has struggled in her rookie year and is yet to register a win. She would like to draw inspiration from the fact that she holds the record for the lowest score by an Indian woman at the DGC and will seek to put an end to her barren run.

Other players in the fray will be the Delhi duo of Mehar Atwal and Ankita Tiwana, Chandigarh's Saaniya Sharma, Kapurthala's Gursimar Badwal and Pune's Shweta Galande.

The tree-lined narrow course of the DGC is ready to test the physical fitness and mental ability of some of the best players in the country. The tour comprises 19 legs spanning across India.