Jahanvi holds nerve at Boulder Hills for year’s fourth win

By Rahul Banerji

Jahanvi Bakshi completed a superb second straight win, rallying from a one-shot deficit to register her fourth 2021 success in the 13^th leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour at Hyderabad on Friday.

Seher Atwal, overnight co-leader with Amandeep Drall, needed a birdie on the 18^th to get into a play-off with Jahanvi, but she managed only a par leaving the latter, playing one group ahead of the winner.

Vani Kapoor, playing alongside Jahanvi had a chance to go join the latter but bogeyed the par-5 18^th to fall one behind on the Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club course.

DLF Academy trainee Jahanvi (69) totalled 7-under 209, while Seher (71) was 6-under 210. Vani (70) and Amandeep (72) finished in a tie for third.

The final day began with the promise of a thriller thanks to a packed leader-board but Jahanvi held her nerve to grab a memorable victory.

Pranavi Urs shot 70 and was sole fifth, while Jahanvi’s sister Hitaashee (73), who was level with her overnight, paid for two bogeys on the back nine to end in sixth place.

Jahanvi, who began the week with a level par 72, had a 68 on the second day.

In the final round, she birdied both par-5s on the front nine to make the in 2-under.

Quick bounce

On her way back she dropped a shot on the par-5 14^th but made up immediately with a birdie and then parred the last three holes.

Seher fell back early with a second hole bogey but with birdies on four and nine, turned in 1-under.

On the back nine she bogeyed 12 but picked up a shot on 14. Needing to gain on the challenging 18^th, which did not yield a single birdie on the final day, Seher had a par to finish one behind the winner.

Saaniya Sharma (74) was sole seventh, while Asmitha Sathish (73) and Khushi Khanijau (77) were T8^. Rhea P. Saravanan (74) completed the top 10.

Vani bogeyed the second and 18^th and had four birdies in her 70, while Amandeep began bogey-bogey to fall out of the lead.

She picked up shots on three, 14 and 15 but a bogey in between left her two short.

Despite Jahanvi’s fourth win of the year, Amandeep maintained her place at the top of the Hero Order of Merit, which is combined for 2020 and 2021.

Vani Kapoor is second, while Jahanvi is now third and Hitaashee fourth. Seher Atwal is fifth.

Also read: Vani Kapoor shows solid form with back-nine blitz at Boulder Hills