January 17, 2017: Amandeep Drall, four time winner last season, will be keen to continue her form in 2017 and will start as the favourite in the first leg of the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour to be played at Kalhaar Blues & Greens, Ahmedabad. The INR 6,00,000 event featuring 11 professionals and lone amateur Sifat Alag will commence on 18th January.
Amandeep Drall looks to step up a notch
Panchkula’s Amandeep Drall finished second in the Hero Order of Merit in 2016 with total earnings of INR 11,75,534. She will be eager to grab a win in the very first event and open up an early lead.
Amandeep will face stiff competition from Kolkata’s Neha Tripathi and Kapurthala’s Gursimar Badwal. Neha and Gursimar were third and fourth respectively in the Hero Order of Merit last year. Neha with two wins and Gursimar with one will be keen to better their performance and start the season with a win.
Vani Kapoor gives the event a miss
Vani Kapoor will be a notable absentee in Ahmedabad. The ace golfer is busy preparing for life on the Ladies European Tour. Vani won seven titles in 13 appearances last year, with total earnings of 12,55,150.
Trisha Sunil will also look to contend this week. Trisha was rookie of the season in 2016 with an earnings of INR 2,44,150.
Others to look out for are Chandigarh’s Saaniya Sharma and Kolkata’s Smriti Mehra. The first leg will also see amateur golfer Sifat Alag make her debut on the Tour.
There are only twelve golfers in the field. The lack of depth is one of the problems facing the ladies circuit in India. But the numbers can be expected to improve with time. The good run of golfers like Aditi Ashok and the entry of more Indians to the LET should help the cause of women’s golf.
The par 72 Kalhaar Blues & Greens golf course in Ahmedabad is reputed to be one of the finest Golf courses in the country, and is all set to test the mettle of India’s best professional women golfers.
