I’ll work harder and go one better next year: Vani Kapoor

A career-best finish has given Vani Kapoor renewed optimism about the road ahead, with the Indian golfer hoping to build on her runner-up showing at the Hero Women’s India Open and make the most of more opportunities on the Ladies European Tour.

Overnight leader Vani Kapoor put up a spirited fight before Thailand golfer Pornanong Phatlum lifted the Hero Women’s Indian Open trophy for the fourth time here on Sunday.

“My plan was to go aggressive, try put some pressure but Phatlum played excellently well. Both of us kept pushing each other and we tried to get the best out of each other. I’ll be back next year. I’ll work harder and hopefully I can make it one better,” Vani told PTI.

“Definitely it’s my best finish on Ladies European Tour. So definitely a moment worth celebrating with friends, family and yeah just back to hard work tomorrow. That’s it. I’m sure I’m going to get more tournaments now. So I’m going to be preparing for them and yes excited to see going in with confidence to see what tournaments hold for me.”

Barring the start to the final day, when Asian Games gold medallist Pranavi Urs seemed to mount a charge, it was mainly a two-player contest between Pornanong and Vani, who finished at 7-under 281 (73, 69, 69, 70).

Reflecting on the level of competition at the challenging course, Vani said she was happy to have played at a high level and was close to winning the title.

“The competition was really tough. I was glad that I could also compete and make my place over there, which gives me a lot of confidence going forward and I’m really excited to see what this year and next year holds for me,” she observed.

The 32-year-old Indian said she really loved the course and has gratitude for the support she got from her fans who came in large numbers during the weekend.

“I loved it. I gave it my all. I don’t think I could have done any better. I was really proud of myself that you know, I didn’t come under pressure. I had a great start,” she said.

“It was really nice. I mean I loved the number of people coming out there. So many friends, family, supporters. I felt really special and I think I’ve also won a lot in life after seeing you know so many people came out there to support me. So a lot of gratitude for that.”

Phatlum, meanwhile, was delighted to claim her fourth title in India, describing the victory as particularly special.

“I’m so happy today and this is my fourth victory in India. It’s very special for me and this is a fantastic round for me. What is that? This is one of the most difficult course in Asia, not just India,” she said.

“I think I feel like very comfortable when I’m playing in India so I feel like every shot that I hit I’m very in focus on my game and everything just works well for me.”

Reflecting on her final-round battle with Vani, Phatlum said she was pleased with how she raised her game when it mattered most.

“Today I played a very fantastic round and played with Vani. She played so well also in the back nine, front nine. We played like almost like a match play for two of us and I just  made everything today and it made me win for this time,” she said.

Phatlum identified accuracy off the tee as a key factor in tackling the challenging course.

“I think the key for this tournament is the tee shot have to be like good in the fairway and it’s gonna make easy more on the apple shot and for the parting it’s also sloppy and I think I hit it very perfect for this week,” she said.

The 13-year-old Ojaswani Saraswat was elated to win the best amatuer of the tournament.

I’m very happy winning the best amateur because always playing in DLF is always an honour. So yeah I’m really excited and really happy. Today I think my driver worked well and my putts were sinking in. The putter was working well,” Ojaswani said. 

“Right now I want to stay amateur for as long as I can and play the best tournaments as an amateur can. I want to play the Augusta as an amateur. It’s a big honour to play there and I would like to be world number one and win an Olympic gold.”