Amandeep Drall | Newsroom24x7

Harpal Singh Bedi

Amandeep Drall in action during final round at Chandigarh Golf Club.JPG

Chandigarh: Amandeep Drall fired eight birdies against just one bogey for a superb 7-under 65 to claim the 10^th leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour by three shots at the Chandigarh Golf Club.

The win also cemented Amandeep’s place on top of the Hero Order of Merit, which she was already leading.

Amateur Avani Prashanth, who shared the overnight lead with Amandeep after two rounds, was left three shots behind despite a fine 4-under 68. She finished in second place. Vani Kapoor tripped to one-over 73 and was fourth, while Jahanvi Bakshi (68) was third.

Amandeep, for whom this was her first title in 2021, finished with a superb 9-under 207, while Avani was 6-under 210 and Jahanvi was 4-under 212. Vani Kapoor also had an under-par total of 1-under 215.

Amandeep, who gained tremendously by competing in Europe over the last few months, had started the week with 4-under 68 before slipping on the second day with 74.

In the final round, she fell back by two shots after the first hole as she bogeyed the first, and playing partner and overnight co-leader, Avani had a birdie on the same hole.

Soon after Amandeep found her form as she birdied second, fourth, sixth, and seventh to turn in 3-under 33. Avani dropped a shot on fourth where Amandeep had a birdie for a two-shot swing. That helped Amandeep move up by one. Like Amandeep, Avani also birdied the sixth and seventh but was still one behind at the turn.

On the back nine, Amandeep drove off on her own with three birdies in a row from 11^th to 13^th, while Avani had gained only on 13^th. Both birdied the 16^th but with two holes left and three shots clear Amandeep made no mistake and Avani was unable to find any more birdies.

Jahanvi Bakshi could have given Avani a run for second place but suffered a double bogey on the Par-3 14^th, and even three birdies in the last three holes for a 68 gave her only the third place.

Vani Kapoor could not get her putts to fall and finished with two birdies against three bogeys in her 73.

Gaurika Bishnoi shot her best card of the week at 2-under 70 and was tied fifth with Hitaashee Bakshi (71), while the winner of the ninth leg,

Lakhmehar Pardesi (72) was tied seventh with Pranavi Urs (73). Amateur Puneet K Bajwa (77) and Seher Atwal (76) completed the Top-10.

It was a good low-scoring event with no less than 10 under par rounds and the top four players finishing with under par totals in the Rs.10 lakh event.

HSB

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Amandeep, Gaurika Bishnoi and Gursimar Badwal

Hosur: Amandeep Drall, carded a hat-trick of birdies to take a share of the lead in the opening round of the Rs.10 lakh seventh leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour here on Wednesday.

Drall, shared the lead with Gaurika Bishnoi and Gursimar Badwal, who have both won once each this season. The trio shot one-under 71 each and led by one over Hero Order of Merit leader Neha Tripathi, and Ananya Datar who carded even par 72 each.

In a field of 26 pros and three amateurs, the largest ever assembled at a domestic event on the Hero WPG Tour, four players including Ridhima Dilawari, the only multiple winner this year, Khushi Khanijau, Millie Saroha and Astha Madan shot one-over 73 each to be tied sixth. Tvesa Malik was sole 10th with a round of 74.

This was Amandeep’s sixth successive sub-par round at the Clover Greens. The last time she shot worse than sub-par was an even par 72 in the first round of the eighth leg of the 2018 Tour, which too she won. She added the 10th leg with three straight sub-par rounds.

Gursimar birdied the second, but bogeyed the Par-5 third and then parred the remaining holes except for the Par-4 13th, which she birdied for a round of 71. Gursimar won the second leg this year.

Gaurika Bishnoi, who won the fifth leg this season, opened with a birdie but dropped back-to-back bogeys on seventh and eight to turn in one-over 38. On the back nine, she birdied 12th and 14th to get to under-par and finish at 71.

Neha Tripathi had just one birdie on seventh and she gave that back on 15th, while Ananya Datar had three birdies and three bogeys.

Astha Madan was two-under through 11 holes, before dropping thee shots in the last seven, while Ridhima birdied second and then dropped three bogeys in a span of four holes between eighth and 11th. She made up one with a birdie on Par-3 16th.

Tvesa Malik at sole 10th birdied twice, but she had a double on the 11th and two more bogeys on 5th and 12th in her 74.