Gurugram, Oct 9: Home favourite Vani Kapoor made a strong start to her campaign at the Hero Women’s Indian Open 2025, carding a flawless 5-under 67 to take the outright lead after Round 1 at the DLF Golf and Country Club on Thursday (October 9).
The experienced Indian golfer, who has consistently performed well at her home course over the years, struck the perfect balance between aggression and control. Despite an early bogey on the second hole, she regrouped quickly and produced a series of well-crafted birdies to close with an impressive back nine.
“After today’s round, I definitely feel more confident,” said Vani. “It’s good to get some good numbers and ensure that I’m on the right track and working on the right things. I just want to repeat what I did today, one shot at a time, enjoy this week, and not get overwhelmed.”
On what it takes to master the challenging DLF layout, she added, “The key here is to keep the ball in play – easier said than done. But the person who does that and holes putts will be the winner at the end. DLF was my friend today, so I hope it continues to be my friend.”
Trailing her by just one shot was 17-year-old amateur Zara Anand, who impressed with a composed 4-under 68, sharing second place with Singapore’s Shannon Tan and Germany’s Verena Gimmy.
Anand, currently in Class 12, showed remarkable poise beyond her years, combining discipline and precision on a course that has challenged many seasoned professionals. “I was just sticking to my process and game plan,” said Zara, who had her long-time coach Amit Dubey on the bag. “We had marked out the slots in the practice round, and I feel this course is a lot about playing shot by shot – just staying patient.”
Zara, whose home course is Jaypee Greens in Greater Noida, credited the rain for slightly softening conditions but admitted DLF remained as testing as ever. “The rain has made it better, but this is DLF – every hole is different, every day is different. The key is staying in the present,” she explained.
Despite juggling golf and academics, she finds balance through an online school setup. “It’s actually easy because I don’t have board exams,” she laughed. “My parents keep me on track, and my mom, Gurika, travels with me. My favorite subject is psychology.”
Meanwhile, Shannon Tan and Verena Gimmy both finished tied second at 4-under 68, keeping themselves within striking distance of the leader. Tan maintained steady rhythm with consistent birdies on the front nine, while Gimmy recovered well from a few tough lies to finish strong.
Singapore’s Shannon Tan, the runner-up at last year’s edition, began her campaign strongly with a 4-under 68, again putting herself in the title race. The young golfer’s round was marked by consistent fairway hits and measured approach play.
“I think overall I played pretty steady today,” Tan said at the end of the day. “I definitely had more chances on the front nine, which I think is the easier stretch to go lower. Overall, it was quite steady – I hit pretty much every fairway and every green.”
Looking ahead, Tan added, “I’d like to keep it the same. Out here, you have to stay in position – that’s my focus this week, just keep it in play and be on the correct side of the pin.”
She also spoke about how the DLF course has changed since last year. “It’s playing a bit easier than last year with the greens being softer – last year they were firmer. You can go at more pins this time, though the rough is thicker, so keeping it on the fairway is key.”
When asked about her Order of Merit goals, Tan was grounded: “I’m aware of it but not too focused on it. There are still four more events to go, and a lot can happen. You can’t control what others do – I just try my best every round.”
England’s Alice Hewson was placed fifth after a 3-under 69, mixing smart course management with attacking play on the back nine. “I quite enjoy coming back here,” said Hewson. “The course is still really challenging – the rough is thick, and you have to hit fairways and greens, otherwise it’s basically a shot penalty every single time.”
She added, “I did a really good job this afternoon, especially on the back nine, giving myself opportunities and taking advantage of them. You just can’t get ahead of yourself – make birdies where you can, but don’t beat yourself up for the bogeys.”
Among the group tied for sixth at 2-under 70 was Durga Nittur, who stayed composed throughout the round. “It was a good day,” said Durga. “I did what I wanted to do, hit the shots I planned, made a few good putts. You can’t get complacent on this golf course – it can throw you down at any point. I just kept my nerves and tried to stay steady.”
India’s Hitashee Bakshi and Czech golfer Sara Kouskova also finished at 70, keeping themselves well within contention, while Switzerland’s Chiara Tamburlini carded a 1-under 71, staying in touch with the leading pack.
Meanwhile, England’s Mimi Rhodes – who tops the Order of the Merit List – and defending champion Liz Young struggled on Day 1, posting 4-over 76 and 5-over 77 respectively, leaving themselves with plenty of ground to cover in the coming rounds.
Other Indian Performances:
Among the other Indian contenders, Tvesa Malik – a regular face on the LET – carded a 2-over 74 to finish tied-35th. The Gurugram golfer, familiar with DLF’s demanding layout, displayed solid control off the tee but couldn’t capitalise on a few birdie chances on the back nine. She will look to tighten her approach play heading into Round 2.
Diksha Dagar, India’s top-ranked player on the LET and one of the pre-tournament favourites, endured a tough opening day, returning a 6-over 78. The left-hander struggled with her putter and found herself caught in the thick rough several times, leaving her with plenty of work to do to make the cut.
Amandeep Drall matched Tvesa’s score with a 2-over 74, combining steady front-nine play with a couple of late bogeys. Ridhima Dilawari, the Delhi-based golfer, shot a 3-over 75, showing flashes of rhythm but battling inconsistency on the closing stretch.
Gaurika Bishnoi and Khushi Khanijau both finished at 5-over 77, with Gaurika finding her touch late in the round but losing strokes early, while Khushi’s round was marked by missed opportunities on the greens.
As the field heads into Round 2, all eyes will be on whether the experienced Vani Kapoor can maintain her lead or if teenage sensation Zara Anand – fresh off a near-miss at the same venue two weeks ago – can script another memorable chapter in her young career.