Woman golfer Vani looks to return to winning ways

Delhi youngster Vani Kapoor will look to make amends and return to winning ways when the 10th leg of the Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour starts on Wednesday at the par-72 Eagleton Golf Resorts here.

Vani, who finished tied second in the last leg and leads this year's Hero Order of Merit with total earnings of Rs.9,14,200, has posted three wins in nine appearances this season. However, victory has eluded her in the last four events, and she would be looking for a swing in her fortunes at the Eagleton.

Vani is however expected to face a stiff challenge from veteran Smriti Mehra of Kolkata, who currently has two wins this season in eight appearances, and is sitting at the second position in the money list with total earnings of Rs.6,45,000.

Other golfers in the fray would be rookie golfer Amandeep Drall of Panchkula and Kolkata's Neha Tripathi. Amandeep, who played sensational golf in the last leg and finished tied second at Srinagar, has been impressive in her maiden season and is placed third with total earnings of Rs.6,35,200 in nine appearances.

Sharmila Nicollet and Kiran Matharu are the notable absentees from the event in which 18 professionals and six amateurs will compete for the title. Bengaluru-based Nicollet would have been a major attraction in her home city, but has given the event a miss.

In the growing list of professionals in the country, defending champion Mehar Atwal, who won the event last year as an amateur, Gauri Monga, Amandeep and Ayesha Kapur will be making their maiden appearance at the Eagleton as professionals.

Other players to look out for are Ankita Tiwana and Saaniya Sharma. Amongst the amateurs, Millie Saroha along with Suchitra Ramesh, Astha Madan, Raksha Phadke, Trisha Sunil and Diksha Dagar will be keen to push the pros and make an impact at the tournament.