Vani returns to action on the Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour

Talented golfer Vani Kapoor will return to action on the Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour after a long gap, as she takes on the field in the tenth leg of the Tour here tomorrow.

Vani, who has been playing in the Ladies European Tour and Asian Tour events, won the first leg of the ongoing season and then made only one more appearance.

In Vani's absence, competition between Tvesa Malik, Neha Tripathi, Gursimar Badwal and Amandeep Drall, who also missed a few domestic events, has been rather interesting and intense.

None of the girls have actually dominated the Tour as such and the honours by and large have been shared.

Tvesa is leading the Hero Order of Merit by a slender margin over Neha Tripathi, who has often put herself in the lead but not been able to close the event with a win. Tvesa leads by just over Rs.32,000. Both Tvesa and Neha have won once each, though Tvesa has also finished second on numerous occasions.

Gursimar Badwal, the only player to have won more than once this season, is lying third on the Order of Merit, while Amandeep Drall is fourth and Smriti Mehra is fifth.

Two of the nine legs this season have been won by amateurs. Ridhima Dilawari won the seventh leg and Pranavi Urs triumphed in the ninth leg.

In the first round, amateur Shweta Mansingh and Millie Saroha will start the proceedings in a 2-ball.

Gursimar Badwal, Gaurika Bishnoi and amateur Seher Atwal, who finished third in the seventh leg, are in the second group, while Khushi Khanijau, Sonam Chugh and Anisha Padukone will tee off in the third.

Neha Tripathi, Ayesha Kapur and Trisha Sunil will go out in the fourth, to be followed by Suchitra Ramesh, Vani Kapoor and amateur Rhea Saravanan in the fifth group.

Siddhi Kapoor, Tvesa Malik and Hita Prakash constitute the penultimate group, while the final group will comprise of Amandeep Drall, Tavleen Batra and Afshan Fatima.