SIX TALKING POINTS AHEAD OF THE HERO WOMEN’S INDIAN OPEN

This week the Ladies European Tour (LET) is in Delhi for the 16th staging of the Hero Women’s Indian Open.

Staged at DLF Golf & Country Club for the seventh edition in a row, 114 players from 31 nations will be vying for the trophy in the 27th event of the season. Before the event gets underway in India, here are a few talking points to look out for…

Chiara closes in

After a sensational debut season Switzerland’s Chiara Tamburlini can officially win the Order of Merit in India this week.

The rookie has won three times this season hoisting silverware at the Joburg Ladies Open, Lacoste Ladies Open de France and Wistron Ladies Open just two weeks ago.

With four more top-five finishes to her name on top of such triumphs, Tamburlini leads the OOM standings by 991.8 points and can win the season-long competition with two tournaments to spare can she extend her lead by 10 more points.

Belgium’s Manon De Roey sits in second position and needs at least one victory to prevent Tamburlini from making more history.

Local stars aiming to shine

No fewer than 26 Indian players are teeing up this week including an abundance of members from the Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI).

All eyes will be on the home stars as they look to follow in the footstep of compatriot Aditi Ashok and become their nation’s second winner of the Hero Women’s Indian Open.

Leading the charge is two-time LET winner Diksha Dagar, currently 22nd in the Order of Merit. The lefty is from New Delhi and finished third in this event last year.

Elsewhere, high hopes are placed on Pranavi Urs who continues to impress in her first full season on the LET. Local stars Tvesa Malik, Vani Kapoor and Amandeep Drall will also be teeing up at their home course, DLF Golf & Country Club.

Another maiden champ?

This past decade the Hero Women’s Indian Open has been the event of the maiden champion.

In each of the last seven editions a first time LET winner has been crowned in Delhi; Aline Krauter (2023), Olivia Cowan (2022), Christine Wolf (2019), Becky Morgan (2018), Camille Chevalier (2017), Aditi Ashok (2016), Emily Kristine Pedersen (2015), meaning history fairs well for those chasing an inaugural title in Delhi.

The likes of Kirsten Rudgeley, Emma Spitz, Virginia Elena Carta, Noora Komulainen and last year’s runner up, Sara Kjellker, will be leading the charge on that front.

Olympic pedigree

There are 10 invites at DLF Golf & Country Club this week with Olympic pedigree amongst the decade of players. LPGA star Maria Fassi has competed in two Games for Mexico and comes in this week hoping to showcase her quality on the LET once again.

The 26-year-old was invited to play on the circuit earlier this year at the Lalla Meryem Cup in Morocco where she finished T3 having led for the first two days.

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.

This year eight players 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 knockout series over a set of different distances.

Competing this year are Dagar, Malik, Austria’s Christine Wolf – winner of the 2019 Hero Women’s Indian Open – Spain’s Nuria Iturrioz, Sweden’s Caroline Hedwall – winner of the 2011 Hero Women’s Indian Open – England’s Alice Hewson, India’s Hitaashee Baksi and Dr Pawan Munjal – managing director and CEO of Hero MotoCorp.

Cash prizes are also on offer for the players courtesy of the tournament sponsor.

Delightful DLF

Last but not least, the stars of the LET and WGAI 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.