Home fans will have an Indian leader to root for in the final round of the $500,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram. It is not the newly crowned Asian Games champion Pranavi Urs but the seasoned Vani Kapoor.
On another day of struggle on one of the most difficult courses in the Ladies European Tour (LET) — only eight players are sub-par in the tournament after three rounds — Vani shot a second consecutive 3-under 69 in the third round to take a one-shot lead. Pornanong, 36, twice winner on LET, was also on 4-under for the tournament after she shot 69, three birdies on the back nine lifting her after being par on the front nine. Battling a stomach bug this week which has left her drained, the 23-year-old from Mysore chasing her first win on LET did not have enough strength to keep her game together. Vani, who found momentum in the second round by holing out for an eagle, had four birdies in her first 11 holes in the third round, although the last four holes saw two bogeys besides a birdie.
However, a persistent wrist problem, which needed taping and attributed to “wear and tear”, flared up midway. Of course, it was a little up and down towards the end, but I’m glad that I kept it together,” she said. “(Sunday) It’s just another day for me to be honest, not that I’ve ever led an LET event, but I’m pretty calm and I just hope I stay this way.”
Putting superbly, she reeled off five birdies in her first six holes on the front nine. That meant her game slipped on the back nine, which saw three birdies cancelled out by three bogeys. Shannon left for an appointment with the physio to be ready for Sunday. Tied fourth with Argentina’s Magdalena Simmermacher, Pranavi was far from her usual composed self. “It was one the most fun rounds that I’ve ever had.
It was a day when only 11 players played under-par on the Gary Player-designed course. On such a layout where golf can often feel like an ordeal with every error penalised, it is likely to be an open race on Sunday.
