This week the Ladies European Tour (LET) is in Delhi for the 15th staging of the Hero Women’s Indian Open.
Staged at DLF Golf & Country Club for the sixth edition in a row, 120 players will be vying for the trophy in the 26th event of the 2023 LET season.
Before the event gets under way in Gurgaon, here are a few talking points to look out for…
A new number one on the horizon?
As the LET enters the crunch end of the season with only four events remaining in the schedule, we could have a new number one in the Race to Costa del Sol standings come Sunday with several stars hot on Celine Boutier’s heels.
Boutier is absent in India meaning Sweden’s Johanna Gustavsson (second place) and home favourite Diksha Dagar (fourth place) could leapfrog the French Major winner with a solo second finish or better in India.
The pair are both within 320 points of Boutier – the number of points rewarded for finishing runner-up this week – with Gustavsson in hot form after landing her maiden LET title last month at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France.
Elsewhere, Thai rookie Trichat Cheenglab, the winner of the Big Green Egg Open, could also jump to top spot with a second victory of the season this week.
Dagar eyes history
Speaking of Dagar, there’s more than just the Race to Costa del Sol on the line this week as the left-hander looks to become only the second Indian to win her home event.
The Olympian is enjoying her best season to date with six top-10 finishes and one victory at the Tipsport Czech Ladies Open.
Well placed to land a second title of the season this week, history is as stake for Dagar as she looks to follow in the footsteps of Aditi Ashok (2016) and become the second domestic winner of the Hero Women’s Indian Open.
Local stars aiming to shine
Alongside Dagar an abundance of local stars will also be teeing up this week hoping to emulate Ashok’s heroics from seven years ago.
Just like in previous years, the 120-player strong field includes a group of players from the Women’s Golf Association of India (WGIA) – this year culminating in 35 members and 32 Indian golfers.
Aiming to make their mark on domestic soil are the likes of Seher Atwal, Tvesa Malik, and Amandeep Drall, while Delhi’s own Vani Kapoor will be hoping to take advantage of teeing up at her home club.
Elsewhere, Avani Prashanth is also one to keep a close eye on, the 16-year-old amateur who became the first Indian to win on the LET Access Series (LETAS) in August when she landed the Ahlsell Final in Sweden.
Hero Skills Challenge
Kicking off proceedings on Tuesday will be the Hero Skills Challenge – the traditional forerunner for the tournament which has continued to prove popular with players and sponsors alike.
As in 2022, this will feature two sets of teams, one made up of European players and one from Rest of the World golfers, who will go head-to-head in a series of challenges on the picturesque 18th hole.
The Hero Skills Challenge will consist of a nearest to the pin pitch from 120 yards, a bunker shot, a long putt, and a ‘hit the bike’ contest.
Team Europe will be comprised of Gustavsson, Austria’s Christine Wolf – winner of the Hero Woman’s Indian Open in 2019 – Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz, and England’s Meghan MacLaren.
The Rest of the World side will feature Cheenglab, Argentina’s Maggie Simmermacher, and the Indian duo of Dagar and Malik. The winning team will receive a cash prize courtesy of the tournament sponsor, Hero MotoCorp.
Delightful DLF
Last but not least, the stars of the LET and WGIA will have to be at their creative best this week as they tackle one of the most unique courses on the schedule – DLF Golf & Country Club.
The Gary Player championship course – located in Gurgaon on the outskirts of New Delhi – is consistently ranked one of the best golf courses in India and features a spectacular amphitheatre design full of dramatic deep-faced bunkers, undulating fairways, water hazards and scenic tee shots.
With fairways narrow and several holes posing sharp doglegs, finding the short cut will be crucial this week with the winner needing to be accurate off the tee.
With that in mind, players could be tempted to keep their drivers in the bag if they are to be victorious of this delightfully unique track, one which is hosting the tournament for the sixth edition in a row.
The Hero Women’s Indian Open gets under way on Thursday 19 October with the winner of the 72-hole event crowed on Sunday 22 October.
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