HERO WOMEN’S INDIAN OPEN 2023 TO TEE OFF WITH STAR STUDDED LINEUP

LEADING THE INDIAN CHALLENGE, DIKSHA DAGAR EYES LET ORDER OF MERIT

From Left to Right: Bharatendu Kabi, Head – Corporate Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Hero MotoCorp; Tvesa Malik; Gaurika Bishnoi, Jahanvi Bakshi; Diksha Dagar; Champika Sayal, Secretary General, WGAI; Hitaashee Bakshi; Kavita Singh, President, WGAI and Tusch Daroga, VP-Operations, DLF Golf and Country Club with the Hero Women’s Indian Open trophy.

Khel Today Bureau 

New Delhi: The Hero Women’s Indian Open, the flagship Ladies European Tour (LET) event in Asia, is back for its 15th edition with a star-studded playing field.

In-form Diksha Dagar, the highest ranked Indian in LET, will lead the Indian challenge at the 2023 edition of India’s National Open, which will have a field of 120 players from more than 25 countries.

Held at a key juncture in the season, with only two more events scheduled after it, the tournament will be played from October 19 to 22, 2023 and held at the resplendent DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram.

The Hero Women’s Indian Open 2023 will see considerable interest from players who will jostle for the top spots on the Race to Costa Del Sol (the Order of Merit for LET), while many others including some Indian names will be hoping to do well to get their full playing rights for 2024.

The field for this year’s edition is already appearing impressive with three of the top four players in the LET Order of Merit entering the event – No. 2 Ana Pelaez Trivino of Spain, No. 3 Diksha Dagar of India and No. 4 Trichat Cheenglab of Thailand. Former champions in the field will include Christine Wolf (2019), Becky Morgan (2018) and Camille Chevalier (2017).

From Left to Right: Golfers Gaurika Bishnoi, Jahanvi Bakshi, Diksha Dagar and Hitaashee Bakshi with the Hero Women’s Indian Open trophy.

Speaking at the Press Conference, Bharatendu Kabi, Head – Corporate Communication and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Hero MotoCorp, said, “Having steadily grown in stature over the years, the Hero Women’s Indian Open is now back for its 15th edition. This flagship tournament has played a significant role in promoting women’s golf in India by providing a global platform to the budding players to showcase their talent. It is indeed a delight to see several top players from around the world and a strong Indian contingent competing for the coveted trophy and the Order of Merit for LET at the Hero Women’s Indian Open 2023. We cherish our association with WGAI and appreciate their efforts towards successfully hosting India’s National Open. We wish the players the very best.”

Mrs Kavita Singh, President, Women’s Golf Association of India, said, “The last year has been an incredible run for Indian women’s golf, with our girls excelling on the international stage. It has also been a great year for our Tour in India, the Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour. The level of golf on display has improved tremendously. It is not long before we see many more of our players on the international Tours. It has not been easy, especially the last few years, and none of this would have been possible without the support of Hero MotoCorp Ltd. and Dr Pawan Munjal, who have stood by the WGAI and the players through all the uncertain times. The WGAI would like to thank Hero MotoCorp, DLF Ltd and the many other sponsors who have believed in us and supported us through the years. We would also like to thank the Ladies European Tour for their partnership.”

Alexandra Armas, CEO, Ladies European Tour said, “The Hero Women’s Indian Open has become one of the main highlights of the LET calendar, coming at an important time in the season as the players look to consolidate and improve their positions in the final stages of the Race to Costa del Sol. The players can’t wait to return to DLF G&CC, a top quality golf course which is challenging and rewarding in equal measure. We look forward to working with our long term partners to ensure another hugely successful event for all involved.”

The LET will have two more events scheduled after the Hero Women’s Indian Open 2023 and they will be the Aramco Team Series in Riyadh and the Tour Championships, the Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open de Espana.

The DLF Golf and Country Club is hosting the event for the 13th time since the event was introduced in 2007. The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19.

STRONG INTERNATIONAL CHALLENGE

Apart from India’s Diksha Dagar, there are six other winners from the current season in the field, including Thai Trichat Cheenglab (Big Green Egg Open in Netherlands), Denmark’s Smilia Tarning Soenderby (KPMG Women’s Irish Open), Spaniard Nuria Iturrioz (La Sella Open in Spain), Spaniard Carmen Alonso (Ladies Open by Pickala Rock Resort in Finland), Lisa Pettersson (Helsingborg Open in Sweden) and German Patricia Isabel Schmidt (Belgian Ladies Open).

The field is further strengthened by the entries of at least eight other winners from the 2022 schedule. They include Lee Ann Pace of South Africa, Meghan MacLaren of England, Ana Pelaez Trivino, Manon de Roey of Belgium, Jana Melikova of Czech Republic, Anne Charlotte Mora of France, Liz Young of England, and Johanna Gustavsson of Sweden.

Other strong names include Magdalena Simmermacher of Argentina, Gabriela Cowley, Felicity Johnson, Rosie Davis and Hannah Burke of England, Pia Babnik of Slovenia, Becky Brewerton of Wales, Scottish golfers Michelle Thompson, Kelsey Macdonald and Laura Beveridge and Leonie Harm of Germany.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIAN WOMEN GOLFERS

Twenty-two-year-old Diksha, a Hero MotoCorp Brand Ambassador, is the gold medalist from the Deaflympics and played at the Tokyo Olympics. She is already among the front runners in the race to secure her place for the 2024 Olympic Games in Pairs.

A two-time winner on the LET, Diksha has racked up a win at the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open and six other Top-10 finishes in what has been the most successful year of the talented left-handed golfer. Diksha is well placed to make a bid for the top honours on the LET’s Order of Merit, a feat not achieved by any other Indian woman golfer.

The Hero Women’s Indian Open has also meant greater opportunities for Indian women golfers like Amandeep Drall, who was runner-up in 2022 and Vani Kapoor, who has notched up Top-10 finishes in the event. The duo is now regular on the LET and will be hoping for good results at home to wrap up their playing rights for 2024.

Similarly, another Hero Brand Ambassador, Tvesa Malik, who has recently grabbed two wins on the domestic Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour, and other winners like Neha Tripathi, Sneha Singh and Gaurika Bishnoi, too, will look forward to the event giving them the right boost towards the latter stages of the season.

HERO MOTOCORP AND HERO WOMEN’S INDIAN OPEN

Hero MotoCorp, which sponsors both the men’s and women’s National Open, has been associated with the tournament since inception and became the title sponsors in 2010, the year the event joined the elite Ladies European Tour.

Hero MotoCorp also sponsors the entire domestic schedule with around 15 events each at premier golf courses across the country and its sustained support has led to as many as half a dozen Indian golfers now playing on the Ladies European Tour and some in the United States.