Vani starts favourite in women's golf

Delhi's Vani Kapoor would be eager for an encore in the second leg after a winning start to her campaign in the Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour.

The second leg will also mark the return of Vaishavi Sinha. The Rs.7 lakh event will take place at the Kalhaar Blues and Greens Golf Course here between Jan 13-15.

At Kensville Golf and Country Club, Vani led from Day 1 and completed a convincing victory. She was named the 2014 player of the year for her dominating performance. However, she is expected to face tough competition from veteran Smriti Mehra and Vaishavi Sinha.

Smriti finished runners up in the first leg and will be keen for a victory here. This leg will also see the return of Vaishavi, who made headlines when she finished fifth at the recently concluded Women's Indian Open. She was the best Indian golfer on the field and is one of the contenders for the top spot.

Chandigarh's Amandeep Drall impressed everyone with her comeback in the first leg. She finished third and will be keen to keep the momentum going. Chandigarh's Saaniya Sharma, Kolkata's Neha Tripathi and Pune's Shweta Galande are the other golfers to watch out for.

Thirteen golfers including amateur Mehar Atwal will be vying for the top spot at the idyllic par 72 golf course. The course is spread over 175 acres and plays to 7,425 yards, making it one of the longest golf courses in India.