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| Mrs Chamika Sayal, Secretary General, WGAI; Mrs Kavita Singh, President WGAI; Mr IVS Junega, President, Delhi GC and Gen Abhi Parmar, DG IGU |
- LET Stars Gwladys Nocera and Holly Clyburn confirm participation
- LPGA Symetra Tour Money leader PK Kongraphan to also star in the Tri- Sanctioned event
- The US $ 3,00,000 event to be played at the Delhi Golf Club from November 28-30
New Delhi, October 30: The Hero Women’s Indian Open, which tees off at the Delhi Golf Club (DGC) on November 28th, will see a highly-competitive field of internationally-renowned marquee players including the Ladies European Tour (LET) stars Gwladys Nocera of France and Holly Clyburn from England.
The US$ 300,000 (Euros 225,000) event – tri-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour (LET), the Ladies Asian Golf Tour (LAGT) and Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI) – will also see the LPGA Symetra Tour Money leader for 2013 P.K. Kongkraphan of Thailand in action.
The 7th edition of the tournament, which for the first time will be hosted at the historic DGC between November 28th to 30th will have a stellar playing field of 108 golfers from more than 30 countries.
Though the final list of golfers will be known as the tournament dates come closer, confirmations have also been received from Sharmila Nicollet, who is the youngest Indian to have qualified for the LET, current Hero Order of Merit leader Neha Tripathi and Smriti Mehra, a former LPGA player. Young stars like Vani Kapoor, Saaniya Sharma and Ankita Tiwana will also be adding strength to the Indian challenge at the event.
At a press conference, Mr. Pawan Munjal, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Hero Motocorp Ltd. said, “In a very short span of time, Hero Women’s Indian Open has made significant progress and grown in stature on the Ladies Asian Golf Tour and the Ladies European Tour. The participation of top-notch players from around the world validates the importance of this tournament in the international golfing calendar. Over the past several years, this tournament has offered a unique platform for emerging Indian players to test their skills against some of the best players from around the world, and I am hopeful that we will see the emergence of some more promising Indian players this year as well.”
Mrs. Kavita Singh, President of the WGAI, said: “I am pleased to announce that the Women’s Golf Association of India and HeroMotoCorp Ltd have extended their partnership for supporting Women’s Professional Golf in India, covering sponsorship of the Hero Women’s Indian Open and the Hero Women’s Professional Golf Tour through 2015. With continued support from the Ladies European Tour and the Ladies Asian Golf Tour, the Hero Women’s Indian Open promises to showcase the best players from the region. Now in its seventh year, the Hero Women’s Indian Open has a purse of US $ 300,000. I would also like to thank the co-sponsors for their generous support of Women’s Professional Golf in India.”
Gwladys had a great season last year with a 5th position finish at the Gold Coast RACV Ladies Masters and T5th at the Omega Dubai Ladies Masters. She is currently placed fourth in the ISPS Handa Order of Merit 2013 with total earnings of € 150,894 from 19 appearances. Holly Clyburn who is currently placed sixth in the ISPS Handa Order of Merit 2013 with total earnings of € 109,181 from 14 appearances will also be seen in action this year at the Hero Women’s Indian Open 2013.
Ivan Peter Khodabakhsh, Chief Executive Officer, Ladies European Tour, said: “The Ladies European Tour (LET) is delighted to be returning to India to contest the fourth straight Hero Women’s Indian Open on our schedule. Our members are truly excited to be visiting Delhi Golf Club for the first time and are looking forward to giving a master class in high performance professional golf. This tournament, built through our successful partnerships with the Women’s Golf Association of India and Ladies Asian Golf Tour, will no doubt inspire a new generation. While the brightest talents will have the opportunity to test their skills against the best from all parts of the world, those watching will be inspired to take up the game, which can only herald a bright future for Indian women’s golf.”
Another attraction to this year’s Hero Women’s Indian Open 2013 is PK Kongkraphan. The Thai golfer currently is the leader at the LPGA Symetra Tour with total earnings of $47,283.00 from 14 outings. She has won the Northeast Delta Dental International tournament and finished runner up at the Credit Union Classic tournament this year.
Mr. Koichi Kato, President & Commissioner, Ladies Asian Golf Tour, said: “The Ladies Asian Golf Tour (LAGT) takes this opportunity to thank Hero MotoCorp., WGAI and the sponsors for contributing towards this great event. We are grateful to be a part of this great event and I am proud that the LAGT players as you may have noticed did respectfully well in the Sanya Ladies Open in China. They are coming to India, too.We and the players on LAGT look forward to a great week at the Delhi Golf Club for the tri-sanctioned Hero Women’s Indian Open.”
Amongst others this year the field will also see participation from Jacqueline Hedwall from Sweden, the twin sister of 2011 winner Caroline Hedwall. More confirmations will be received in the next few days and they are expected to include all top names on the ISPS Handa Order of Merit.
