Vani Kapoor grabs lead on day 1 at Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour

Bangalore: Delhi's Vani Kapoor played an impressive round of 1 under 70 on the first day to grab the lead in the 9th Leg of the Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour at the Clover Greens Golf Course here today.

Trailing her in second position is Chandigarh's Amandeep Drall at 1 over 72. The INR 6,00,000 event will culminate on Friday.

Hero Order Of Merit leader Kapoor started confidently and played an impressive front-nine with three birdies on the 3rd, 5th and 7th holes, but faltered on the 9th with a bogey. Her back-nine saw her carding a birdie on the 12th hole with bogeys on the 16th and 17th to finish the round at 1 under 70.

Amandeep Drall returned a card of 1 over 72 to take the second position. She carded birdies on the 2nd, 15th and 16th holes, and bogeys on the 8th, 9th , 10th and 14th.

Jaipur's Afshan Fatima, Delhi's Gauri Monga and Pune's Shweta Galande are placed tied third with identical scores of 2 over 73 after the first round. Afshan had bogeys on the 9th, 10th, and 18th holes, with a double on the 2nd. Her birdies came on the 5th, 13th and 16th holes.

Delhi's Gauri Monga played a birdie less front 9, with bogeys on the 1st, 9th and a double on the 8th hole. She had a blemish free back nine and carded birdies on the 15th and 17th holes. Pune's Shweta Galande did not have a good start, and recorded a bogey on the very 1st hole. She had another bogey on the 16th along with a double on the 3rd. She was, however, able to repair the damage with two birdies on the 9th and 14th holes.

Chandigarh's Saaniya Sharma and Delhi's Ankita Tiwana are placed tied sixth with identical scores of 3 over 74 after 18 holes. Saaniya's card on the day included five bogeys on the 5th, 10th, 11th, 14th and 16th holes, with birdies on the 13th and 15th. Ankita Tiwana played the only bogey free front nine of the day, with two birdies on the 2nd and 3rd holes. However, she had a string of errors in the back nine, with bogies on the 11th, 13th and 14th, and also a double on the 12th.

Kolkata's Neha Tripathy is placed eighth with a score of 5 over 76 followed by Sharmila Nicollet and Gursimar Badwal at tied 9th position with identical scores of 6 over 77.