Vani Kapoor fired a round of 67 (-5) to hold the outright lead at the end of day one of the Hero Women’s Indian Open.
The Indian star is competing in her 13th home open and made the most of home advantage at DLF Golf and Country Club.
Kapoor began the day with a birdie at the first before making her only dropped shot of the day on the second.
The 31-year-old soon bounced back with birdies at the fifth and ninth before rolling in three on the trot on 11, 12 and 13 to sit at the top of the leaderboard on five-under-par.
“After today’s round, I definitely feel more confident,” said Kapoor. “But actually, to go out there and put in the work and do my job. It’s good to get some good numbers and ensure that I am on the right track and I’m working on the right things.
“I just want to repeat what I did today, one shot at a time. Enjoy this week. Try and not get overwhelmed, that’s about it. I think the key here is just to keep the ball in play. It’s easier said than done, but the person who does that and who holes putts is going to be the winner at the end.
“DLF was my friend today, so I hope it continues to be my friend. There were no mistakes as such, I just had one bogey on the second hole. I just hit a wrong club, went a little too aggressive, probably should not have. I took my lesson from there and then I was like, let’s just play within limits. Let’s not try to do a lot of things.”
Three players are in a share of second place with Indian amateur Zara Anand, Singapore’s Shannon Tan and Germany’s Verena Gimmy all on four-under-par.
Amateur Anand began her round on the 10th tee and made bogeys on 12, 15 and 17 before switching the momentum as she then rolled in four consecutive birdies.
The 17-year-old continued her fine form with further birdies on five and six before a tap-in on the ninth, after a stunning approach shot, for her round of four-under-par.
The Indian has twice finished runner-up on the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour in 2025 including two weeks ago at DLF Golf and Country Club.
“It’s been pretty good,” said the teenager. “I’m really grateful for the opportunities that I’ve been given and I’m just hoping to continue it.
“I played the WPGT here, two weeks ago. Unfortunately, I lost out in the playoff, but it was a good way to get familiar with the course.
“I had the momentum in the back nine and I holed some long putts and some short putts, so I’m just happy with how it’s going and looking forward to continuing it tomorrow.”
Singapore’s Tan started the week with a round of 68 (-4) with only one dropped shot on her scorecard.
The two-time LET winner, who was a runner-up here last year, rolled in birdies on the first, sixth, seventh, ninth and 18th holes.
“I am pretty satisfied with the round of golf today; I pretty much stuck to the game plan and just hit fairways and greens,” said Tan. “The putts dropped more on the front nine, which was my back nine, but overall, it was steady gold today.
“It wasn’t ideal only getting here on Tuesday, but I’m happy to be here and I’m going to take the opportunity that nearly wasn’t there. I got in Tuesday morning, went to the hotel showered and changed and came straight to the course and got some practice before the Pro-Am. I got to see the course and having played it last year I know what to expect, so that helped as well.
“I think it’s easier this year with the greens being softer and you can attack the pins a bit more. They have grown the rough out, so you have to still keep it in play and keep it in the fairway. It is easier to attack the pins.”
Germany’s Gimmy also produced a round of 68, which included two bogeys and six birdies, to be alongside Anand and Tan.
“It was a very solid day,” said the German. “I hit fairways, I hit greens, and I had some chances. I had some good up-and-downs, especially on my front line. I made up-and-down on 17, made a couple of longer putts today, so that helped. I was very confident in my putting today.
“It’s been a few years where I was close to playing and then never really got the chance to go because it was so last minute. This year I really wanted to see what the fuss is about. It’s a great course; I really enjoy it. I like courses that are tough and you can focus a lot more.”
England’s Alice Hewson carded an opening round of 69 (-3) in India, which included three birdies and two bogeys, to sit in outright fifth place.
“I got off to a little bit of a shaky start this morning, I didn’t hit many fairways or greens,” said Hewson. “With how the course is set up this year, that’s really important because the rough is so penal.
“I made a couple of bogeys early on and you just have to take your medicine and give yourself as many chances as you can. That’s what I did well on the back nine and I was able to take advantage of a few of them.
“I gave myself some good chances, I seem to read these greens okay and rolled a couple in which was nice. It’s a really challenging golf course, it puts a high premium on hitting fairways and greens which tends to be a strength of my game – not quite this morning.
“I’m going to try and build on the back nine I had today and giving myself opportunities. You just have to stay so patient, you can’t push and have to let the golf come to you.”
Five players are in a tie for sixth place with Indian duo Durga Nittur and Hitaashee Bakshi, Romy Meekers of the Netherlands, Czechia’s Sara Kouskova and Italy’s Alessia Nobilio all on two-under-par.
Round two will begin at 6.30 am (local time) on Friday and there will be a cut to the 60 professionals and ties at the end of the day.
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