England’s Gabriella Cowley produced a stunning performance on Saturday at the Hero Women’s Indian Open as she fought through a back injury to post the round of the day 67 (-5).
Starting the round in T29 position, and after bogeying two of first three holes on day three, Cowley rebounded in incredible fashion making eight birdies to surge into a tie for seventh.
The most impressive part about the score is that the 27-year-old required an on course physio not once but twice at DLF Golf & Country Club, powering on with the aid of caddie Ben Cain to continue her excellent form this season.
“My back is bad to be honest,” Cowley admitted after her round. “I’ve never had to go through an injury but I’ve been playing very well so I’m just trying to manage things. Hopefully its stays the same tomorrow.
“After I flew here last week I tried to practice on Tuesday but I couldn’t. I saw the physio and couldn’t hit balls until my first tee time on Thursday morning. I played on Sunday in Abu Dhabi. I had physio all morning and wasn’t too sure if I could play.
“Even this morning the first two holes my back was very tight. We had to get the physio out on the course. I’ve never had to deal with this before and I’m just taking it in my stride.”
Despite the pain, which Cowley believes was triggered on the flight over to Delhi, Cowley jumped 22 places which was the biggest move of any player on Saturday.
Thanks to the 67 (-5), the Englishwoman is now eight adrift of leader Aline Krauter on three-under par.
On the injury, Cowley said: “My left hip is sort of blocked. It’s restricting but not painful when I’m playing. I gave myself a lot of chances today and I’m hitting the ball really well – I have been for a while so I was really disappointed that I came here with an injury.
“He [my caddie] even had to tie my shoe lace and get the ball out of the hole! I feel a bit bossy this week but he’s doing very good.”
Currently 13th in the Race to Costa del Sol, Cowley is aiming for another solid finish this week as she goes in pursuit of a top-10 seasonal finish for the first time in her Ladies European Tour (LET) career.
“I’m obviously pushing for the top 10,” the Englishwoman said. “I’m definitely trying to get an LPGA Q-Series spot through the top 10 so that’s what I’ve committed to.“
Cowley tees off for round four at the 2023 Hero Women’s Indian Open at 10:48 playing alongside France’s Anne-Charlotte Mora and Indian amateur Avani Prashanth.
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