Having won her first title in the first leg, Kolkata's Neha Tripathi will start as a firm favourite in the third leg of the Hero Women's Professional Golf Tour at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club here today.
The Rs 6,00,000 event featuring 14 professionals will commence on February 15th.
Neha Tripathi is currently placed second in the Hero Order of Merit with total earnings of Rs 2,10,000. She has one win in two appearances and a win here will help her overtake Amandeep Drall and secure her position atop the money list.
Another strong contender for the title is Smriti Mehra. She has been close to winning in the last two events and will be keen to register her first win here. She is currently placed third in the Hero Order of Merit with total earnings of Rs 2,04,000.
However, Neha and Smriti will have to ward off a strong challenge from the likes of Gaurika Bishnoi and Sharmila Nicollet. Gurgaon's Gaurika Bishnoi is currently placed fourth in the Hero Order of Merit with total earnings of Rs 1,74,000 in two appearances.
She has been in good form in the last two events and is expected to give the others a run for their money. Hero MotoCorp sponsored Sharmila Nicollet, who marked her return in the last leg, did not have the best of outings and would be eager to make an impact.
Notable absentees in the 3rd leg are Panchkula's Amandeep Drall and Delhi's Vani Kapoor. Amandeep is currently leading the Hero Order of Merit with total earnings of 2,46,000. Both Amandeep and Vani are currently busy with their overseas commitments.
Other players in the fray are Kapurthala's Gursimar Badwal, Chandigarh's Saaniya Sharma and Delhi's Mehar Atwal.
The Par 72 scenic golf course in Kolkata is all set to test the mental and physical calibre of the players.
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