The 2017 edition of the prestigious Hero Women’s Indian Open will tee off at the picturesque DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon on November 9-12, next month.
The US $400,000 event, now in its 11th year, will field previous champions including India’s own Aditi Ashok who won the title on home soil at DLF last year, prior to winning the Qatar Ladies Open and LET Rookie of the year titles. Aditi will be joined by the 2015 champion and LET Rookie of the Year Emily Kristine Pedersen, as well as the 2016 Order of Merit winner Beth Allen and Belen Mozo, the runner-up in the Hero Women’s Indian Open last year.
The flagship event, co-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI), will also feature World No. 21, Carlota Ciganda from Spain, who will be the top-ranked player in the field.
Commenting on Hero’s long-standing association with the Hero Women’s Indian Open for the eighth consecutive year, Mr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman, MD & CEO, Hero MotoCorp, (pictured below, handing over the winner’s cheque), said: “Hero MotoCorp has remained committed to the development of women’s golf in India and it gives us great pleasure to see our young golfers perform on the world stage. The Hero Women’s Indian Open has established itself as an important stop in the Ladies European Tour and over the years we have seen some of the top professionals from different parts of the world competing in the tournament. We look forward to another spectacular edition of the Hero Women’s Indian Open this year.”
LET Chairman Mark Lichtenhein said: “Following the tremendous success of this event in 2016 and Aditi Ashok’s historic victory, the Ladies European Tour is delighted to return to DLF Golf and Country Club to contest the Hero Women’s Indian Open for the eighth time. Our players always enjoy coming to India and the tournament has become a staple on their calendars. We look forward to further strengthening our partnership with the Women’s Golf Association of India and Hero MotoCorp to bring our leading professional women golfers to Indian fans and spectators.”
Mrs. Kavita Singh, President of the WGAI, said: “The Women’s Golf Association of India, with the support of our title sponsor, Hero MotoCorp Ltd, is on the verge of hosting the 11th edition of the Hero Women’s Indian Open with a prize purse of US $400,000. Last year saw Aditi Ashok become the first Indian to win the Hero Women’s Indian Open and the first Indian to win on the Ladies European Tour. Last year also saw her qualify for the LPGA, and another five Indian players qualify for the LET. It is with the help of our sponsors and well-wishers that the WGAI has come a long way in a short span of time. On behalf of the WGAI, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Hero MotoCorp and the Ladies European Tour for their continuous support.”
While all eyes will be on Aditi, another local player who will be keen to make a mark will be Vani Kapoor. She finished tied 36th in the Lalla Meryem Cup and is currently placed seventh on the WGAI’s Hero Order of Merit with total earnings of INR 5,21,000 and three victories in five appearances. She will be playing on her home turf at the DLF Golf and Country Club alongside a strong Indian contingent, which includes Neha Tripathi, Amandeep Drall, Saaniya Sharma and Gaurika Bishnoi, pictured from left to right below.
The coveted tournament will be played on India’s only Gary Player-designed course, situated in Gurgaon. The challenging signature ‘Black Knight’ course tested the mantle of the women professionals in 2016 and 2015 with its dramatic landforms, rock quarries, large lakes and extensive landscaping. It is now all set to play host to another memorable Hero Women’s Indian Open for the third time this year.
About Hero MotoCorp Ltd:
Hero MotoCorp is the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer in terms of unit volumes sold by a single company in a year – the coveted position it has held for the past 16 consecutive years. The New Delhi, India-headquartered Hero MotoCorp sold over 6.6 million two-wheelers in the financial year 2016-17 and has sold over 75 million motorcycles and scooters in cumulative sales since its inception. Hero MotoCorp currently sells its products in 35 countries. Hero MotoCorp has five state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in India, and two in overseas locations – one in Colombia and the second in Bangladesh. Hero MotoCorp’s world class state-of-the-art R&D facility – the Centre of Innovation and Technology (CIT) – is located in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. Hero MotoCorp has been associated with various disciplines of sports including golf, cricket, field hockey and soccer for over two decades. Fourteen-time major winner Tiger Woods is Hero’s Global Corporate Partner and Atletico de Madrid coach Diego Simeone is Hero’s Brand Ambassador. For more information, please visit:
www.heromotocorp.com | FB: /HeroMotoCorpIndia | Twitter: @HeroMotoCorp
About Women’s Golf Association of India:
The Women Golf Association of India is a non-profit organisation whose objective is to uplift women through the medium of sport. ‘Empowerment of women through sport’, is the motto for the WGAI Tour, which was established in 2006. The Women’s Indian Open was first held in 2007.
Website: www.wgai.co.in , www.womensindianopen.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/womensindianopen
Twitter: www.twitter.com/womenindianopen
About the Ladies European Tour:
The Ladies European Tour (LET) celebrates women’s professional golf on a global stage. In 2017, the schedule features tournaments across five continents, including The Solheim Cup, with a diverse membership of 324 professional golfers representing 38 countries worldwide. Since its formation in 1978, the Ladies European Tour has witnessed 249 different winners celebrate a total of 721 championship titles between them, and has celebrated its diversity as players from 28 different countries have won on the Tour. The Ladies European Tour broadcasts live coverage of its tournaments to more than 304 million homes in more than 116 countries every week, generating 425 global broadcast hours per tournament. It also enjoys the support of many of the world’s leading business brands with Omega, Etihad, Scotland – the Home of Golf and The R&A amongst its Official Partners.
The Ladies European Tour also manages the LET Access Series, which is its official developmental tour, formed to give players not part of any major Tour the opportunity to compete and progress onto the LET. The top five players on the 2017 LETAS Order of Merit will earn membership of the Ladies European Tour for 2018.
For more information, please visit:
FB/YouTube/Flickr: /LadiesEuropeanTour | Twitter/Instagram: @LETgolf
