Smriti Mehra wins Jaypee Greens

Report by Anand Datla

October 31, 2014: Smriti Mehra lay in wait for much of the early bidding before pouncing like a hungry lioness in the final round to clinch a sensational victory at Jaypee Greens in Noida. The veteran golfer shot a 67, the best round of the week, to snatch a four shot victory over Sharmila Nicollet.

Mehra finished with a brilliant flourish, making six birdies in a fluent final round to clinch victory with an overall score of 216. She was the only golfer to finish with an even par score at the thirteenth event on the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour. Nicollet shot a 73 to sign off in second with her score reading 220.

The crowd favourite made four bogeys and three birdies in an undulating final round effort to see her hopes sink in the face of a brilliant effort from Smriti. Vaishavi Sinha made a 76 in the final round, but that was enough to give her third place with a score of five over 221.

A steady 73 saw Gursimar Badwal finish in fourth at the plush green course in Greater Noida. Ankita Tiwana made a 74 to take fifth place with a score of 227, five shots behind Badwal.

Shweta Galande has been near the top for a while earlier, but a 77 on Friday saw her slip to sixth on the honours list. Pallavi Jain and Preetinder Kaur finished with 79 each to tie for seventh at 234.

Neha Tripathi and Saaniya Sharma finished with 77 each to close the event at 235. Priya Puri was a further four shots behind after scoring a 76 in the final round. Amateur golfer Tavleen Batra brought up the rear, signing off with a 79 to finish with 244 to her name.

Earlier yesterday, it is understood that Vani Kapoor was disqualified from the tournament due to an act of obstruction by her caddie. Apparently the ball was stopped by the caddie while in play and the jury was left with no choice but to leave her out.