Noida, Nov 14 (NationPress) Mahreen Bhatia made history as the first amateur to claim victory on this season's Women’s Pro Golf Tour, successfully navigating a competitive landscape during the 15th Leg held at the Jaypee Wishtown Golf Course. At just 16 years old, Mahreen finished with a remarkable score of 4-under 67, following initial rounds of 68 and 66, culminating in a total of 12-under and winning by three strokes.

The last amateur to emerge victorious on the WPG Tour prior to Mahreen was Nishna Patel, who won in January during the season's first leg.

Starting the final day with a two-shot lead, Mahreen began with two pars before shifting into high gear from the third to the sixth hole. She notched birdies on the third and fifth holes and even managed an eagle on the Par-4 sixth. Meanwhile, competitor Vani Kapoor also birdied the third, fifth, and seventh holes but suffered a setback with a bogey on the fourth.

As they made the turn, Mahreen extended her lead to four shots, positioning herself to become the inaugural amateur champion of the season.

A turning point occurred when Mahreen recorded her first bogey on the par-4 11th, allowing Vani to close the gap by birdieing the 12th, reducing Mahreen's lead to just two strokes.

However, Mahreen demonstrated exceptional poise, regaining momentum with back-to-back birdies on the 14th and 15th holes. Although Vani birdied the 12th and 14th, she dropped a shot on the 15th, resulting in a two-shot swing that favored Mahreen.

With three holes remaining, Mahreen regained a four-shot advantage and played conservatively, finishing with a 67 and a final score of 12-under 204 over 54 holes.

Vani concluded her week with three pars, finishing with rounds of 69, 67, and 68, totaling 9-under 208. Sneha Singh took third place at 5-under, while Jahanvi Bakshi secured fourth at 3-under. Jasmine Shekar, who matched the day's best score with a 67, finished fifth at 1-under 212.

Only five competitors completed the event under par, with seven players shooting under par in the final round, while two others recorded even par rounds. Mahreen's 66 on the second day was the standout score of the week.

Three players, Lavanya Jadon (71), the first-round leader, Kriti Chowhan (72), and amateur Saanvi Somu (72), all tied for sixth at 1-over 214. Khushi Khanijau (69) rounded out the Top 10 in the 15th Leg.

Heena Kang, Yashita Raghav, and Ridhima Dilawari tied for 11th, while Amandeep Drall and Anvitha Narender were tied for 14th.

Since 2016, there has been at least one amateur winner each year on the Hero WPGT. Notable past winners include Diksha Dagar, Pranavi Urs, Sneha Singh, Ridhima Dilawari, Avani Prashanth, Vidhatri Urs, and the most recent, Nishna Patel. Previous amateur champions such as Aditi Ashok, Tvesa Malik, Gurbani Singh, Raksha Phadke, and Meher Atwal have also left their mark.