Vani eyes 7th Hero golf title

Vani Kapoor has had a dream season so far and will look to extend her run when she takes the field for Leg 13 of the Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour at Jaypee Greens here Wednesday.

Vani has six victories to her credit and the seventh looks well within her reach, especially after her amazing victory at Prestige Golfshire. She came from behind to take the title after trailing for two days.

Vani currently leads the Order of Merit with total earnings of Rs.12,39,100 and will look to extend her lead at the top. However, she is expected to face tough competition from veteran Smriti Mehra and Sharmila Nicollet.

Smriti had a meltdown at Prestige Golfshire and will be eager to make a comeback. She is third in the Order of Merit with Rs.7,19,400 in nine appearances. Sharmila on the other hand hasn't been at her best but is expected to give Vani a run for her money.

Kolkata's Neha Tripathi and Pune's Shweta Galande have been guilty of throwing away early leads on multiple occasions and would be eager to make amends. Shweta has twice lost in the playoffs, something that she would like to change. Neha is second in the Merit list with Rs.8,05,000 and will be keen to reduce the gap at the top.

Delhi's Ankita Tiwana along with Chandigarh's Saaniya Sharma and amateur Tavleen Batra are other golfers to watch out for. Ankita has already tasted victory this season and is fifth in the Merit list with Rs.6,57,500. Tavleen on the other hand has a golden opportunity to make an impact at the Rs.5 lakh event.

The event will field 13 golfers, consisting of 12 professionals and 1 amateur.