By Rahul Banerji
With the $500,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open just about five weeks away, the domestic tour will give its players a feel of the DLF course with many of the top starts in action at the Rs 6 lakh event this week.
Diksha Dagar, the lone Indian to have won on the Ladies European Tour this year, and Vani Kapoor return to the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour this season for a final chance to get a look at Gary Player Black Knight course in its present condition.
The 13th edition of the Hero Women’s Indian Open, which also marks its 10th anniversary on the LET, runs from October 3 to 6.
Diksha, who won the Women’s South African Open and then played as many events as possible on LET including two Majors, has not played much at home this season after the opening leg where she finished third.
Hopefuls all
Also back is Vani Kapoor, who despite finishing second picked the winner’s cheque in the 11th leg at the Hyderabad Golf Club, where amateur Sneha Singh emerged winner.
Other hopefuls this week include three-time winner on the Hero WPG Tour Ridhima Dilawari, who was tied 20th last year at the Open and two-time winners Gaurika Bishnoi and Tvesa Malik, the only Indians in the top-15 last year.
Other Tour winners in action are Amandeep Drall, Neha Tripathi, Gursimar Badwal and Gauri Karhade, the latest teen to win a title on the home Tour.
The field for this week’s 13th leg also includes amateurs Asmitha Sathish, Khushi Hooda, Sneha Sharan and Jahanvi Bakshi.
Kushal Singh is early leader
Meanwhile, at the Golden Greens course near Gurgaon, local player Kushal Singh, fresh from a runner-up finish last week in Karnal, continued the momentum with a 4-under-68 to take the first round lead at the Tata Steel PGTI Feeder Tour event on Tuesday.
Chandigarh duo Zubin Nijhawan and Amrit Lal and Delhi-based Gulfam Pappan and Sahil Kulkarni were joint second on 2-under-70.
Kushal, 24, who already has two top-10s in the current Feeder Tour season and is fourth on the money list, made a quiet start with two birdies and two bogeys over his first six holes.
On his homeward nine, Singh having found his rhythm to pick up three more birdies and move into the sole lead in season’s fourth event. Kushal capitalised on all the four par-5 holes with birdies.
Kushal said, “I posted my career-best finish in Karnal last week so I’m carrying forward the momentum from that performance.
“I made a lot of good up and downs today and made the par-5s count. I didn’t have a great start today but the birdie on the 18th changed things as it gave me the confidence for the front-nine.”
Digvijay Singh and Shivendra Singh Sisodia, playing at their home course, were T6 with scores of 71 while Order of Merit leader Anil Bajrang Mane of Mumbai shot a level par 72 for tied 11th place.
Also read: Tour rookie Gauri Karhade wins maiden Hero WPGT title
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