This week the Ladies European Tour returns to India after three years away, and Christine Wolf has been counting down the days until she could return to the scene of her maiden LET victory.
You have to go back to 2019 for the last time the Hero Women’s Indian Open was part of the LET schedule, meaning Wolf is the reigning champion heading into this week after claiming a three-stroke victory at DLF Golf and Country Club.
After starting the final round that year one shot ahead of Meghan MacLaren, the Austrian produced a score of 69 (-3) to win by three and set foot in the winner’s circle for the first – and so far only – time in her career.
It’s no surprise that this venue holds very special memories for the 33-year-old, who can’t wait to get back to business in Gurugram this week,
“It’s really nice to be back here,” Wolf said. “I love the course and the people are really nice. I’ve been looking forward to coming back here for a long time and I think everyone else in the field is too as it’s always a great week here.
“I have such great memories from my win in 2019, I think even when I flew home that week it was still very much surreal so I watched it again when I got home from the other side of things, but they’re such happy memories.
“I’ve always played really well in India since I’ve been out there, I think I just feel comfortable out here and I like the food, and the people here are really nice as well.”
Each of Wolf’s last two visits to India have seen her jousting for the lead throughout the week, as she came up agonisingly short in 2018 to finish in a tie for a second with a double-bogey on the last seeing her fall behind Becky Morgan, who claimed her first victory on Tour in spectacular circumstances.
Two more top 20 finishes have come her way in previous years in India, with the week in South Asia often bringing out some of her best golf, and she comes into this week in good form.
The Austrian spent five months travelling South America in the early stages of the season, but came ready and rejuvenated for the final stretch, with four top 20 finishes in her last five starts, including a T4 finish at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open in September.
With the season drawing to a close every point scored on the Race to Costa Del Sol becomes all the more valuable, and with a current ranking of 65th on the Order of Merit this year, Wolf will be looking for another strong performance this week to gain ground on her competitors in the hunt to gain full playing rights for the 2023 season.
And with her trusty local caddie by her side, the 2019 champion is looking forward to putting in another strong performance this time around.
“My caddie is nice and he’s excited that I’m coming back. He’s caddied for me the last four or five times that I’ve come to India, so he knows my game pretty well,” Wolf continues.
“It’s been going pretty well since I came back on Tour, I’ve been playing quite solid and making a lot of birdies so that always helps.
“It feels like it’s getting better from week to week and I’m enjoying being back out here and spending time with the girls out here again. It feels like it’s starting to come together so I’m in a happy place.”
