Two Top-15 Finishes for Sharmila Nicollet
Indo-French Bengalurean Sharmila Nicollet finished T-13 at the had finished T-14 at the €35,000 AXA Czech Ladies Championship at Golf Resort Konopiste (near Prague) on June 16. The 27-year-old, who was tied second at the end of the first round, was hampered by a troublesome ankle.
Sharmila had also participated in the Le Coq Sportif Beijing Ladies Classic, a China LPGA Tour, towards the end of May. She was tied for the lead on the opening day, recording five consecutive birdies, and was T-2 on the second before ultimately finishing 14th. She collected RMB 14,480 (approx. INR 1.5 lakhs) for her efforts.
Sharmila Nicollet was in the limelight this time last year when fans helped her win a Twitter poll to secure a spot in the $1,750,000 Shoprite LPGA Classic. Her last win came in January 2018 when she defeated Neha Tripathi in a playoff to clinch the second leg of the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour at Bombay Presidency Golf Club.
Vani Kapoor Stays Strong on LET ACCESS Series
23-year-old Vani Kapoor has had a productive time on the LETAS Tour since her tour debut in 2014 at the Mineks ET Regnum Ladies Classic where she finished third — an impressive record for the first timer.
Her latest T-33 at the €40,000 Viaplay Finnish Open follows her strong T-9 finish at the €35,000 AXA Czech Ladies Championship. The Gurgaon lass sadly missed the cut at the €120,000 Ladies Jabra Open. She is currently 61st on the LETAS 2018 Money List.
“It’s much more difficult to play in Europe. There, you have to prepare for the winds. It can get pretty cold over there too. The quality of the players is also higher and steeper. Here, you’re used to playing against 25 other people. There, you have to compete with 150 other women. The bar keeps getting raised over there,” Vani was quoted as saying by Scroll.in
Right now, Vani is the only Indian to hold a Ladies European Tour card. Her sixth-place finish at the 2017 Women’s Indian Open helped her retain it.
Vani is currently 566th in the World Ranking and has career earnings worth €28,730.33 on the Ladies European Tour. She is also 9th on the Indian Order of Merit, with INR 1,90,000/- to show in winnings in 2018 (one win from two appearances).
Asiad Berth A Sense Of Achievement for Sifat
Sifat Sagoo has already checked one box. The Chandigarh girl, who lives in Delhi, booked her Asian Games berth hitting 9-under-par. The four-member boys team and three-member girls team were chosen after six trial rounds that concluded on April 30. “It’s a big break for me. I will be totally focused on my game. I will play more events internationally before heading into the Asian Games where the golf event will be played at the Pondok Indah Golf course. We will go there a few days early to get accustomed to conditions. I will also make a few equipment changes besides focusing on my game,” a confident Sifat told Hindustan Times.
Sifat, who is ranked third in IGU Ladies Order of Merit, will be joined by fellow 17-year-olds Ridhima Dilawari and Diksha Dagar. She took to the game as a 9-year-old when her father Harvinder Singh Sagoo took her to Qutab Golf Course. Soon after the Asian Games, Sifat will be participating in the biennial World Amateur Team Championship (Espirito Santo Trophy) which will be held in Ireland from August 29 to September 1.
(Read more in the July issue of Golf Digest India. Download here.)