June 12, 2016: Indian women golfers had a memorable week in Hong Kong, giving a good account of themselves in the Hong Kong Ladies Open. Vani Kapoor lead the charge, playing consistently through the week to finish in a tie for fifth. Sharmila Nicollet ended the week in 37th place while Amandeep Drall finished in 32nd at 5-over 221. Amateur Tiffany Chan trumped a deep field of professional golfers to clinch a famous victory at the Hong Kong Golf Club.
Vani played extremely well through the week, stay even or better through all three rounds of the tournament. The Delhi golfer shot 70-71-72 for a 3-under total of 213, just two off the winning pace.
Vani started and ended the front nine with birdies, making the turn in 34 strokes. But a bogey at the 16th hole dropped her back to even par for the round.
Amandeep made a good start to the tournament with a 71 in the first round. Despite two birdies on Sunday, Amandeep shot 75 in the final round by virtue of three bogeys on the front nine and two more on the back nine.
Sharmila got progressively better through the week, scoring 75-74-73 in the three rounds. Her final round consisted of two bogeys and a solitary birdie at the 8th hole.
Neha Tripathi ended the week in 53rd among 66 golfers, after shooting a 77 on Sunday. Neha was 11-over 227 for the week.
Tiffany played sensational clutch golf in the final moments to clinch a remarkable playoff victory. She made a birdie from 12 feet on the 18th green to force sudden death. Kanphanitnan Muangkhumsakul drove out of bounds on the first playoff hole, leaving her amateur opponent to make par for a memorable home victory.
“I’m so emotional and I can’t express how happy I am right now,” said the University of Southern California student, who is expected to move into the top-10 of the world amateur rankings,” said Chan. “I’m so thankful for the support I’ve had. To win on my home course makes it all the more special. Without the support I’ve had today I don’t think I could have done it.”
