HERO WOMEN’S INDIAN OPEN – THE BIGGEST GOLF EVENT FOR WOMEN IN THE COUNTRY – RETURNS TO ACTION

 STAR STUDDED LINE UP OF INDIAN & INT’L CHAMPIONS TO VIE FOR US$400,000 PRIZE PURSE IN THE OCT 20-23 EVENT

From Left to Right: Jahanvi Bakshi; Seher Atwal; Hitaashee Bakshi; Kavita Singh, President, WGAI; Champika Sayal, Secretary General, WGAI; Gaurika Bishnoi, Ridhima Dilawari with the Hero Women’s Indian Open trophy

 Khel Today Bureau 

New Delhi: A strong field of past champions and current winners from the Ladies European Tour (LET) are confirmed for the Hero Women’s Indian Open 2022, which returns to action for the first time since 2019. With a prize purse of US$ 400,000, the event will be staged at the picturesque DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram from October 20-23, 2022.

The event, which could not be held in year 2020 and 2021 because of the Coronavirus pandemic, is coming back with one of the strongest fields in its history.

At least five past champions have already sent in their entries and more are likely to come through. Additionally, a host of winners in the 2021 and 2022 seasons have entered the event, which will see participation of 114 golfers from as many as 20 countries from around the world.

The field also includes Aditi Ashok, India’s first and only Hero Women’s Indian Open winner, who has since graduated to the LPGA. Aditi represented India with great distinction at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021, where she lost out on a medal by a solitary stroke. Sheholds the Hero Women’s Indian Open dear to her heart, as it is an event she has played since her amateur days.

The US$400,000 event comes at the business end of the season and offers a chance to many players to secure their status for 2023 or improve their ranking ahead of the next season.

From Left to Right: Golfers Seher Atwal, Jahanvi Bakshi, Hitaashee Bakshi, Gaurika Bishnoi, Ridhima Dilawari with the Hero Women’s Indian Open trophy.

All the top Indians led by Aditi have confirmed their participation. The line-up includes Tvesa Malik, who was 19^th on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit last season;Diksha Dagar, the 2019 South African Open Champion and 2022 Deaflympics Gold Medalist, Amandeep Drall and Vani Kapoor. Other prominent Indian names expected in action are Ridhima Dilawari, Gaurika Bishnoi and Neha Tripathi.

Among the former Champions who have sent in their early entries is the defending Champion from 2019, Christine Wolf; 2018 winner Becky Morgan; 2017 winner Camille Chevalier; 2016 Champion Aditi Ashok and 2011 winner Caroline Hedwall.

The field is replete with winners from the 2022 season, including one of the most successful stars this season, Linn Grant, who has won four times on the Ladies European Tour and three times on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa.

Other winners of 2022 include Anne Charlotte Mora (Aaland 100 Ladies Open 2022), TiiaKovisto (Jabra Ladies Open), Ana Pelaez (Madrid Ladies Open) and Meghan Maclaren (Australian Ladies Classic – Bonville).

Indian women’s golf, which has been on an upswing over the past few years, has seen the rise of young stars like PranaviUrs, who has won five times in 12 domestic events, and other names such as HitaasheeBakshi, JahnaviBakshi, Seher Atwal and Sneha Singh will keep the home fans enthralled.

Mrs. Kavita Singh, President of the Women’s Golf Association of India said “It is indeed gratifying that we stand today at the threshold of staging yet another edition of the Hero Women’s Indian Open. With the challenges that the world has faced over the past two and a half years, it is indeed a relief to see that the worst is behind us. The WGAI is looking forward to welcoming the players and officials from the LET once again. The world today is a different place from the one in 2019 when Christine Wolf took home the trophy, and the strength of Indian women’s professional golf has increased exponentially during this intervening period. I am sure that our Indian players are going to be strong contenders at the tournament, and we cannot wait to see the competition unfold. On behalf of the WGAI, a big thank you to Hero MotoCorp and Dr Pawan Munjal for standing by us through this difficult time.”

Situated on the outskirts of the capital city of New Delhi, the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram, which is often referred to as the ‘Home of Indian Women’s Golf’, will be hosting the event once again. The course, according to the golfers who recently played here at the domestic WGAI event earlier this week, is in superb condition and will prove to be an exciting challenge for the Hero Women’s Indian Open.

The Hero Women’s Indian Open was first held in 2007 and since 2010 it has been a part of the Ladies European Tour as well as sponsored by Hero MotoCorp.