Beth Allen of the United States is preparing to contend for her third straight Ladies European Tour victory when she tees up in the Hero Women’s Indian Open, starting on Friday in Gurgaon.
Allen regained her advantage on the LET’s 2016 Order of Merit on Saturday after consecutive wins in the Lacoste Ladies Open de France and the Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Open in Abu Dhabi, which was played at the Gary Player-designed Saadiyat Beach Golf Club.
Now she is ready to tackle the Gary Player Course at DLF Golf and Country Club as she makes her fifth appearance in the event, where her best finish was fifth at Delhi Golf Club in 2013.
“Delhi Golf Club is so different because it’s so narrow and tight and the greens are small. Here we have big greens but you have to be so precise because if you miss it then you will be in trouble,” Allen said.
“Gary Player courses are beautiful. Saadiyat Golf Club was a Gary Player design too and I liked that! The greens are really big and undulated and it’s the same at Saadiyat.”
Now in her ninth season as a member of the Ladies European Tour, the 34-year-old from San Diego, who now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, explained the appeal of competing all around the world, especially in India. “In 2008 when I joined the Ladies European Tour, I wanted to use golf as a vehicle to travel and see the world and I thought what an awesome opportunity to earn money and travel. I think it’s crazy that more Americans don’t do it. I’ve enjoyed learning about different cultures and coming to places like India, that I probably wouldn’t get to otherwise. I’ve seen the Taj now, I’ve had really exciting experiences here and going to magnificent places like Dubai. It’s incredible and valuable to everyone to see different cultures. I love it here, especially the food!”
Allen had a fantastic boost on Wednesday when she won The Hero Challenge, an eight-player shoot-out played under floodlights on a specially constructed par-3 on the tournament course’s 18th hole.
The real challenge will start when she begins her Hero Women’s Indian Open campaign at 7.30am local time on Friday, playing with the defending champion Emily Kristine Pedersen of Denmark and fellow United States star Brittany Lincicome. The tournament gets under way at 7am local time.
