Vani Kapoor seals season’s fourth win with birdie blitz at BGC

Vani Kapoor receives her trophy for winning the eighth Hero WPGT leg from Bangalore Golf Club captain Sunil K. Vasant, after completing a comfortable three-stroke victory in the Garden City on Friday. Image courtesy WGAI.

By Rahul Banerji

Order of Merit leader Vani Kapoor distanced herself further from the group of closest pursuers with a fourth title of the season at the Bangalore Golf Club on Friday.

Riding a birdie blitz on the back nine that helped overcome a slow start, Vani carded a 3 under par 67 to go with earlier rounds of 67 and 71 for a 5 under 205 total to win by a comfortable three-stroke margin, the WGAI said.

Up and coming amateur Zara Anand (69-72-67) brought in her best finish on the pro circuit with a good second place on 2 under 208 even as she prepares for collegiate golf in the US later this year.

Winner of three straight titles this season and more than 30 in all on the domestic circuit, Vani was 2 over after the opening eight holes. 

She then triggered a momentum shift with a birdie on hole nine and then four in a row from 12 to 15 before coasting home to a second 67 of the week.

Neha Tripathi shot the event’s best card of 5 under 65 to take third place after starting with a 76. She followed up with a 68 to finish on 1 under 209 as the top three registered sub-par totals.

Slow start

Vani, who shared the overnight lead with amateur Saanvi Somu opened Friday with a bogey. 

She parred the next six holes and bogeyed hole eight before picking up her first shot on nine even as Saanvi had three bogeys and a birdie to drop away from Vani.

At that stage, Gaurika Bishnoi was also in the running with one birdie and one bogey and at 1 under for the tournament shared the  lead with Vani. 

Gaurika, however, faltered on the back nine with three dropped shots against two birdies to close with 71 and a level par 210 tournament total for sole fourth place.

Vani meanwhile hit a purple patch on the back stretch with four birdies to race clear of the field.

Vain chase

Despite Zara’s four birdies in the last 10 holes and Neha’s five birdies in the last seven, Vani stayed comfortably ahead for another fine win.

Saanvi, bidding to win for the first time on the pro tour after four second places in the past, missed out again with a card of 73 that saw her finish fifth.

Ridhima Dilawari, who opened with a double bogey, also had the rare distinction of landing two eagles, both on par-4s for a 67 and sixth place.

Ananya Garg closed with a bogey-double bogey for 71 and was seventh.

Mysore leg winner Amandeep Drall had a bogey-bogey finish in her 70 and tied for eighth with Karishma Govind, Rhea Purvi Saravanan, Anvitha Narender, Vidhatri Urs and Jasmine Shekar.

In the Hero Order of Merit, Vani has extended her lead over second placed Sneha Singh, who this week is playing on the Ladies European Tour in Tenerife.

Amandeep Drall, Ridhima Dilawari and Neha Tripathi occupy the third to fifth places in the rankings.

Also read: Saanvi joins Vani in shared lead at BGC leg of women’s pro tour