Gurugram, Oct 22 (IANS): Diksha Dagar and Chiara Tamburlini will lead a star-studded field that will tee off for the latest edition of Women’s Indian Open, which gets underway at the DLF Golf and Country Club here on Thursday (October 24). With 114 players from 31 nations, many of whom have been recent winners of the Ladies European Tour, the tournament is set for a battle royale.
The US $400,000 tournament, which will end on October 27, has been co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour since 2010 and this year has a long list of players who have won multiple titles on the LET.
Chiara Tamburlini (Switzerland), Manon De Roey (Belgium), Caroline Hedwall (Sweden), Lee-Anne Pace (South Africa) and Trichat Cheenglab (Thailand) will be among the internationals to watch out for. The Indian challenge will feature Diksha Dagar, only the second Indian to have tasted success on the LET, upcoming star Pranavi Urs and the experienced Tvesa Malik Sandhu.
The Indian Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour stars to keep an eye on will be Hitaashee Bakshi, Vani Kapoor, Gaurika Bishnoi, Amandeep Drall and Ridhima Dilawari. The list of 114 players includes 27 Indians, three of whom - Diksha Dagar, Pranavi Urs and Tvesa Malik Sandhu - are regulars on the LET. A few others have a status on the world’s second-biggest golf Tour for women.
The field includes 90 players who have come through the LET ranks and have won 70 LET titles between them and 26 players in the current LET Order of Merit feature in the field. Of these, 13 players have won on LET more than once, and a total of 12 players have between them 14 titles in the last two seasons. Six players have won 8 titles in 2024.
The 26 of the Top-50 in the Order of Merit include the Top-2 - Swiss Chiara Tamburlini and Belgian Manon De Roey and there are five players from the Top-10 and eight in the Top-15.
Sanjay Bhan, Executive Vice President, Hero MotoCorp, said, "The Hero Women's Indian Open is the country’s flagship tournament, and we are thrilled to witness its remarkable growth over the years. Our Executive Chairman, Dr. Pawan Munjal, and Hero MotoCorp remain committed to promoting various sports and events globally, yet this tournament holds a special significance for us. We extend our best wishes to all the participating players and eagerly anticipate an exhilarating week ahead."
Kavita Singh, President, Women’s Golf Association of India, said, “We are excited to host yet another edition of the Hero Women’s Indian Open at the DLF Golf & Country Club, Gurugram. Over the years, the tournament has grown in stature and this year too, we have a stellar field representing over 30 countries. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to our Title Sponsors, Hero MotoCorp and Dr Pawan Munjal for their unstinting and generous support, and to all our other sponsors who have always stood by us. I extend a warm welcome to all the players and officials, and appeal to spectators to come and witness some great golf!”
Chiara Tamburlini, the highest world-ranked player at No. 66, said, “I had a good year on LET Access last year with two wins as well. But I just tried to become better at everything really. I mean, it's a game where you can always get better. Even in the weeks where you win, you never hit perfect shots the whole week. So, I think that's what makes the game so much fun as well.
A measure of the popularity of the Women’s Indian Open is that seven of the players who finished in the top 10 in 2023 are returning to have another shot at the region’s biggest women’s professional event.
Diksha Dagar, who was third a year ago, said, “It feels amazing to come back here, playing on the international stage and I'm very happy to see my friends and peers from the LET. The DLF course is one of the most challenging golf courses I have played internationally.
"I'm working on important aspects of my game. Like on this course, tee shots, and around the greens. I'm working on the putting green also. This green is so fast this year. And when I chip around the green, the ball is not stopping. Last year I played well, and performed well. This time also I will focus on my game,” he said.
Tvesa Malik, who won her first international title in South Africa, was upbeat as she said, “It's been a really fun year. I went out to South Africa, not really expecting much and had a good start to the season. So it's been really nice to just enjoy playing the game and to simplify things a little bit.”
It is the home course for Tvesa, who added, “It's always nice to be back here at DLF. I don't know if I've just been gone too long or if the course has gotten tougher, but it's different this time than when I played it here last. So just trying to get used to that and hopefully, I can just enjoy it. It feels special to play at home with my home crowd and my friends and family here. And I've grown up here at the club so it's really nice to see a lot of familiar faces. So I'm excited for the week.
“I think it is definitely an advantage to have played here before. I think the more you see the golf course, you understand where it's okay to miss. I think it's definitely playing firmer and faster this year and I think that would be new to everyone because it hasn't played that in the past,” she added.
The winner of the 2023 Order of Merit, Trichat Cheenglab and the leader of the 2024 Order of Merit, Chiara Tamburlini, as well as the winner of the LET Access Order of Merit, Kajsa Arwefjall are in the field. Two others - Caroline Hedwall, a former winner, and Lee-Anne Pace were adjudged Player of the Year in 2011 and 2010.
Three former champions also adorn the field. They are Hedwall (2011), Camille Chevalier (2017) and Christine Wolf (2019), in addition to five others who have finished runner-up in the past. The most successful player in the field is Lee-Anne Pace with 23 professional titles, 11 of which have come on the LET, while Hedwall has 7 LET wins.
The Indian component of the field includes 24 players who have come through the Women’s Golf Association of India’s list. That includes nine of the 10 Hero WGAI Order of Merit winners dating back to 2013, plus the current WPGT Merit leader Hitaashee Bakshi.
Hitaashee, who also plays at DLF as her home course, spoke about her comeback and added, “Back in December 2023, everything wasn't going the way I wanted it to go. But then suddenly in March, I equalled the ladies' course record in DLF, playing minus eight in the front nine.
The field also has five Indian amateurs Ananyaa Sood, Zara Anand, Janneya Dassannjee, Mannat Brar and Yogya Bhalla.