Women’s Indian Open from October 20; Star golfers will compete for $400,000 in prize money

New Delhi, September 22 (IANS) A strong field of past champions and current Ladies European Tour (LET) winners have been confirmed for the 2022 Hero Women’s Indian Open, which returns to action for the first time since 2019.

With a prize fund of US$ 400,000, the event will be held at the picturesque DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram from October 20 to 23.

The event, which could not take place in 2020 and 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, returns with one of the strongest fields in its history.

At least five past champions have already submitted their entries and more are likely to come. In addition, multiple winners in the 2021 and 2022 seasons have entered the event, which will feature 114 golfers from as many as 20 countries around the world.

The field also includes Aditi Ashok, India’s first and only women’s Indian Open winner, who has since graduated to the LPGA. Aditi represented India with great distinction at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in 2021 where she missed out on a medal by just one stroke. She holds the Indian Women’s Open dear to her heart as it is an event she has participated in since her amateur days.

The $400,000 event comes at the end of the season and offers many players a chance to secure their status for 2023 or improve their rankings ahead of next season.

All the top Indians led by Aditi have confirmed their participation. The line-up includes Tvesa Malik, who was 19th in the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit last season; Deeksha Dagar, the 2019 South African Open champion and 2022 Deaf Olympics gold medalist, Amandeep Dral and Vaani Kapoor. Other prominent Indian names expected in action include Ridhima Dilawari, Gaurika Bishnoi and Neha Tripathi.

Hero MotoCorp, Chairman and CEO, Pawan Munjal said, “The Hero Women’s Indian Open, a flagship event in Asia, is one of the largest and most popular golf tournaments in the region. We are happy to be back and glad to know that some of the most talented names on the Tour will be here in India. Our Indian women golfers are making rapid strides with some great performances on the international tours. This will be one of the most exciting editions of the Hero Women’s Indian Open. I would like to thank the Ladies European Tour and the Women’s Golf Association of India for their continued support of the event.”

Former champions who have submitted their early submissions include 2019 defending champion Kristin Wolff; 2018 Winner Becky Morgan; 2017 winner Camille Chevalier; 2016 champion Aditi Ashok and 2011 winner Caroline Headwall.

The field is full of winners from the 2022 season, including one of this season’s most successful stars, Lynn Grant, who has won four times on the Ladies European Tour and three times on the Sunshine Tour in South Africa.

Other 2022 winners include Anne Charlotte Mora (Aaland 100 Ladies Open 2022), Tia Covisto (Jabra Ladies Open), Ana Pelaez (Madrid Ladies Open) and Megan McLaren (Australian Ladies Classic — Bonville).

Indian women’s golf, which has been on the rise for the past few years, has seen the rise of young stars like Pranavi Urs, who has won five times in 12 domestic events, and other names like Hitaashee Bakshi, Jahnavi Bakshi, Seher Atwal and Sneha Singh will hold the home fans fascinated.

Kavita Singh, President, Women’s Golf Association of India, said, “It is truly heartening that today we are on the cusp of hosting yet another edition of the Hero Women’s Indian Open. With the challenges the world has faced in the last two and a half years, it is indeed a relief to see that the worst is behind us. The WGAI looks forward to welcoming back the players and officials from the LET.”