Neha chases Sneha in the final Leg of Hero WPGT to make a bid for the Order of Merit

Neha Tripathi (left) chases Sneha in the Battle for the Hero WPGT Order of Merit. 

Khel Today Bureau 

Chennai: Neha Tripathi, the only player to have won three times this year on the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour, will make a final bid for the Order of Merit when she tees up for the 16th and final Leg of the 2023 season. The event is being held at the Tamil Nadu Golf Federation’s Cosmo Club in Chennai.

The prize apart, Sneha and Neha will be engaged in their own battle for the Hero Order of Merit. Neha, who won the 15th Leg of the Tour is now only Rs. 27,792 behind the long-time leader on the Hero Order of Merit Sneha Singh.

With a win, Neha can take the Order of Merit, even if Sneha finishes in second place. Whoever amongst the two wins will take the honours.

If neither Sneha nor Neha win the title, Neha must make Rs. 27,792 more than Sneha to overhaul her. Sneha, meanwhile, must ensure that if Neha does not win, she should not be placed too far above her, so the battle will be really tense and close.

Seher Atwal, who is Rs, 99,532 behind the leader, Sneha, also has a mathematical chance of getting to the top with a win. For that she would need to win besides needing Sneha to finish outside Top-14 and at the same time Neha must finish sixth or lower.

Neha and Seher can go into the week with a positive frame of mind as they and also Ananya Datar, who had tied for ninth at the LET Pre-Qualifier Asia in Gurugram, have now been informed that they have been added to the field for the Final Stage next month in Morocco.

Tvesa Malik, who topped the Pre-Qualifier, has opted to miss the 16th Leg as she prepares for the Final Stage and also attends to personal matters.

The final leg of the Tour has 22 players with a purse of Rs. Eight lakhs on offer. Though there will be no cut, only the Top-14 will get the money.

Tee times for the first round of the 16th Leg of the Hero Women’s Indian Open Golf at the TNGF Cosmo Club:

1. 7:30 am: Karishma Govind, Ravjot K Dosanjh;
2. 7:40 am: Jasmine Shekar, Geetika Ahuja;
3. 7:50 am: Shweta Mansingh, Rhea Purvi S., Sneha Singh;
4. 8:00 am: Rhea Jha, Durga Nittur, Ridhima Dilawari;
5. 8:10 am: Agrima Manral, Neha Tripathi, Gauri Karhade;
6. 8:25 am: Srihitha Mandava (A), Ananya Datar, Yaalisai Verma;
7. 8:35 am: Seher Atwal, Snigdha Goswami, Anaggha Venkatesh;
8. 8:45 am: Ishvari Prasanna, Khushi Khanijau, Anisha Agarwalla