Golf: Teen star Jahanvi grabs fourth win of the year

Hyderabad, Nov 26 (IANS) Teen star Jahanvi Bakshi completed superb back-to-back wins as she rallied from a one-shot deficit to register her fourth success in 2021 by taking the 13th Leg of the Hero Women's Pro Golf Tour at the Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club, here on Friday.

Seher Atwal, who shared the overnight lead with Amandeep Drall, needed a birdie on the 18th to get into a play-off with Jahanvi, but she managed only a par.

Meanwhile, Vani Kapoor, playing alongside Jahanvi, had a chance to go join the latter, but instead, she bogeyed the Par-5 18th and fell one behind.

Jahanvi (69) totalled 7-under 209, while Seher (71) was 6-under 210. Vani Kapoor (70) and Amandeep Drall (72) were tied third on the final day, which began with the promise of a thriller but in the end, Jahanvi, despite her young age, kept her nerves and grabbed a memorable win.

Pranavi Urs shot 70 and was sole fifth, while Jahanvi's sister Hitaashee (73), who was level with her, had two bogeys on the back nine. That cost her a lot and she ended sixth.

Jahanvi, who began the week with an even-par 72, had a 68 on the second day. In the final round, she birdied fifth and seventh, both of which were Par-5s, and turned in 2-under. On the back nine, she dropped a shot on Par-5 14th but made up on the next with a birdie on 15th. She parred the last three holes, including the 18th.

Seher, with a bogey on the second, dropped back but with birdies on fourth and ninth, turned in 1-under. On the back nine, she bogeyed 12th but picked a shot on 14th. Needing a birdie on the challenging 18th, which did not yield a single birdie on the final day, Seher managed only a par and finished one shot behind Jahanvi.

Saaniya Sharma (74) was sole seventh, while Asmitha Sathish (73) and Khushi Khanijau (77) were Tied-8th. Rhea P Saravanan (74) completed the Top-10.

Vani Kapoor bogeyed the second and 18th and had four birdies in her 70, while top contender Amandeep Drall began bogey-bogey to fall out of the lead. She picked a birdie on the third but dropped a shot on the 13th before she had two more birdies on the 14th and 15th. But. it still left her two short of Jahanvi as Amandeep finished Tied-third.

Despite Jahanvi's fourth win of the year, Amandeep maintained her place at the top of the Hero Order of Merit, which is combined for 2020 and 2021. Vani Kapoor is lying second, while Jahanvi is third and her sister Hitaashee is fourth. Seher Atwal is at fifth.