Vani Kapoor had put herself in pole position to end India’s decade-long wait for a home winner at the Hero Women’s Indian Open on Saturday. It’s her best-ever finish at the event. After the event, Vani spoke to NDTV about her campaign.
It was not to be at the USD 500,000 Ladies European Tour event. On Sunday, the 32-year-old finished second (73-69-69-70) to Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum (72-71-69-65) at the DLF Golf and Country Club. Aditi Ashok was the last Indian to win the title in 2016.
Q: The Thai winner has now won this tournament for the fourth time. Q: Vani, a splendid achievement. You finished second at this week’s Indian Open after a remarkable final round. Tell us about this achievement. Vani: It’s great for Indian women’s golf. It’s getting more eyeballs, more sponsors will come in, and the sport is going to grow. So many more girls are picking up the sport. It’s also wonderful to see so many young kids volunteering and following us. I hope we set the right example so they can take the game forward. Q: Golf has also delivered strong performances for India at the Asian Games and Olympics. What makes her so successful in India? Vani: I think she loves India, and that’s one of the reasons she keeps coming back. She has an amazing game. She kept pushing me throughout the round, and both of us pushed each other. We were accelerating through the front nine, and at one point I was thinking, “Okay, just calm down and give me some time to breathe. It was great competition. I think we brought out the best in each other. Ultimately, she had the better day and deserves congratulations. Vani: Walking down the stretch after I finished and seeing my mom, dad, friends, and family. So many of them came out in large numbers. There were also many of my corporate supporters, people I play with, and my team members. It was so touching. I feel a lot of gratitude seeing that kind of support. Sometimes you don’t just win trophies, you also earn that kind of respect and love, and I’m very grateful for that.
This is a tournament you’ve been playing for almost 10 years. Looking ahead to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, what do you need to do to qualify?
