Vani Kapoor, India’s experienced and veteran golfer, has started the Hero Women’s Indian Open 2025 campaign with a banger as she took the Day 1 lead with a round of 5-under 67 in the games that happened at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram on Thursday.
With this, she became the first Indian since Aditi Ashok in 2012 to lead the opening day of the tournament with her flawless and composed rounds.
Vani Kapoor’s Magic in the Hero Women’s Indian Open 2025
In the ongoing Hero Women’s Indian Open 2025, Indian golfer Vani Kapoor has made a dream start, taking a lead after the first round with a brilliant 5-under 67 at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram. On Thursday, the 31-year-old veteran golfer, who knows the course very well, displayed the gameplay combined with experience and confidence, outshining other international athletes on the field.
Vani Kapoor started her round with an early birdie but unfortunately faced a setback with a bogey in the second hole. But she soon got herself back, and struck a string of accurate birdies in the 5th, 9th, 11th, 12th, and 13th holes. She has managed to keep at the forefront of the competition with her cool and steady approach. She was also the first Indian since Aditi Ashok in 2012 to top after the first day in the Hero Women’s Indian Open.
Talking about the performance at the end of Round 1, Vani said, “After today’s round, I definitely feel more confident. 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.”
Ladies European Tour on X: “Kapoor leads the way on home soil 🇮🇳 #HWIO2025
Kapoor leads the way on home soil 🇮🇳#HWIO2025 pic.twitter.com/TmLvHx7io4
— Ladies European Tour (@LETgolf) October 9, 2025
On the other hand, only a single shot behind Vani Kapoor was 17-year-old amateur Zara Anand, who was delighted to record a composed 4-under 68, and she shared the second place with Singaporean Shannon Tan and German Verena Gimmy. Zara, who was in Class 12, was more mature than her age and mentioned that she only needed to stick to her process and be patient.
However, the other Indians, such as Durga Nittur and Hitashee Bakshi, were also performing well, as they ended the day with 2-under 70 and got positions within the top 10. In the meantime, defending champion Liz Young and Order of Merit leader Mimi Rhodes had a tough time, shooting 5-over 77 and 4-over 76, respectively.
Bigyan Samele’s Take
From the writer’s point of view, Vani Kapoor’s dominance in Round 1 of the Hero Women’s Indian Open is something that should be discussed, as she has successfully become the first Indian since Aditi Ashok in 2012 to lead Day 1 at the tournament. However, things have changed a bit in the leaderboard as the German Verena Gimmy has now overtaken Vani to sit in the number one position with 5-under 68.
Meanwhile, Vani Kapoor is in the second position with 5-under 67, with Round 2 still left to be played. It would be interesting to see how she will perform in the second round, as several Indians are expecting a well-rounded game on Day 2.
