Harpal Singh Bedi / Gurugram
Seventeen promising Indian golfers will get chance to showcase their wherewithal amid a strong field of international players, as the USD 500,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open (HWIO )that gets underway at the DLF Golf & Country Club in Thursday.
Apart from Vani Kapoor and Tvesa Malik, others like Gaurika Bishnoi, who won the domestic Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour Order of Merit last year, Amandeep Drall and Gursimar Badwal, looked hopeful of putting up a good show,
Amandeep Drall will be the earliest top Indian to tee off on Thursday morning at 6.55 am with Felicity Johnson and Karolin Lampert, while Gaurika Bishnoi will play the first round with Korea’s A Hyeon Kim and Thai player, Pannarat Thanapolboonyaras and they tee off at 7.05 am from the first.
Vani Kapoor has been paired with Eleanor Givens of England and Noora Komulainen of Finland at 7.35 am from the 10th tee, while talented amateur, Diksha Dagar plays with Lucie Andre and Indian pro, Siddhi Kapoor at 7.45 am from the tenth tee.
The afternoon wave will see Tvesa Malik play alongside former Order of Merit winner Beth Allen and 2011 champion Caroline Hedwall at 11.10 am from the first tee.
“Whether you play here regularly or whether it’s your first time, the course is always tricky. I’ll just have to see how it goes. It’s great to be at home here,” says Tvesa, the current Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour Order of Merit leader.
Vani Kapoor, who finished a career-best tied-sixth in the previous edition, will be leading the Indian challenge. Ahead of the tournament, Vani said, “I think it’s a great advantage to know the course. I have been playing here quite a lot and we also played a tournament here, so we had another week to test our skills and sharpen up. I’ve been putting in a lot of hours this year. I’m just waiting for my game to fall together.”
“I’m not thinking about winning. I think the good thing about golf is that you all start from scratch and it’s about putting four good rounds together. I’m not going to put any pressure on myself, I just want to do my best,” said Gaurika Bishnoi .
Amandeep Drall and Gursimar Badwal were of the view that taking part in the HWIO is in itself a big thing for the local women golfers. The tournament has given big boost to women’s .golf in the country.
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The international players include defending champion Camille Chevalier, former champion Swedish Caroline Hedwall, who also won the Lacoste Ladies Open de France earlier this month, Beth Allen – the 2016 LET Order of Merit winner, Thailand’s Kanyalak Preedasuttjit – winner of the Thailand Ladies Open, and Celine Boutier – winner of the Australian Ladies Classic.
This is the 12th edition of the tournament, and will see 120 golfers from 27 different countries vying for the top honours. The prize money for this year has been enhanced to USD 500,000 and the winner will earn a cheque of USD 75000.
The tournament, for the first time, will be played over 72 holes, and will be telecast live.