Past champions headline strong field for Hero Women’s Indian Open

Gurgaon, November 28: Four of the last five winners, including the defending champion Caroline Hedwall headline a strong field for the sixth edition of the Hero Women’s Indian Open, which is now in its third year of joint sanctioning with the Ladies European Tour. The DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon, which has been the home for the tournament, will once again be the venue for the flagship event for the sixth year in succession.

Four of the top-10 on the LET Order of Merit, including the leader Carlota Ciganda are in the field and there are as many six players who have tasted victory on the LET Tour this season. Three of them, Ciganda, Carly Booth and Stacey Keating have in fact won twice each. The field also has three Thai girls, who have won the LAGT this season, Nontaya Srisawang (Thailand Ladies Open),  Tainun Yoopan (Technology Cup, Taiwan) and Numa Gulyanamitta (China Trust Open). Ciganda (China Suzhou Taihu Open) and Cassandra Kirkland (Sanya Ladies Open) won events which were co-sanctioned by LET and LAGT.

The Indian challenge will be led by seasoned Smriti Mehra and Sharmila Nicollet, who last year qualified for the LET Tour through he Qualifying School. Nicollet was the top Indian finisher last year in tied 22^nd place.

Other Indians in the field will be Rookie Vani Kapoor, who made the cut as an amateur last year, Nalini Singh Siwach and Neha Tripathi among others. Also in the field will be Tanya Wadhwa, who has come from US.

A few others with an Indian connection and in the field for this week include England’s Kiran Matharu, Rhea Nair, an Indian who is based in the Middle East ad Welsh golfer, Sahra Hassan.

All eyes will be on 2011 champion Caroline Hedwall, who has had some injury worries early in the season, but she came back strongly to win the Uniqa Ladies Golf Open Raiffeisen in September for her fifth LET title. Last year as a Rookie she won four titles. The Swede, who had her mother on the bag, fired rounds of 67, 68 and 69 over the course to post a winning three-round total of 12-under par, 204, which was two clear of two-time champion Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum, who won the event in 2008 and 2009.

England’s Laura Davies will be returning to the site of her last LET victory two years ago, in 2010 and will look to continue her love affair with the reachable par-five 18th hole. Davies eagled the hole to make a four-way play-off with South African Tandi Cuningham, Thailand’s Nontaya Srisawang and Swede Louise Friberg in 2010. She then birdied the hole to win the tournament. “I love the 18th at DLF,” she said.

Six of this year’s tournament champions in the field are Cassandra Kirkland, Ciganda, Keating, Hedwall, Booth and Karen Lunn.

Recent Sanya Ladies Open champion Kirkland will be looking to continue her solid play and especially as her previous career best finish was fifth at this golf course in India two years ago.

“Already I had quite a bit of confidence going back because I like the course and I always play well there. Coming from a win I think I’ll have a lot of confidence and hopefully I can do something good in India,” said the 28-year-old from Paris.

Spanish LET rookie Ciganda, who is leading the ISPS Handa Order of Merit after two victories this season in the Netherlands and China, will be playing in India for the first time. She said: “I like to travel and see new countries, new things.”

With Caroline Masson missing India due to her LPGA Q-School playing commitments, Ciganda has a clear opportunity to move further ahead and commented: “For me it’s good that she’s not playing because she’s going to Q-School but there is still Dubai and a lot of money so if I don’t play well and she plays well, she can beat me easily, so I’m going to think about this week and see how it goes.”

Australian double-champion Stacey Keating, who won back-to-back events in Spain and France recently, is looking forward to returning to the DLF club having tied for 12th place last year. She said: “Obviously I’m very excited. I enjoyed the golf course. I didn’t see much last year to be honest, apart from the hotel and the golf course, but that was very nice. I’m looking forward to it.”

The 300,000USD tournament features 108 competitors and is tri-sanctioned by the LET, Ladies Asian Golf Tour (LAGT) and Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAi).

Hazy sunshine is forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday with light WNW winds and temperatures in the mid to upper 20s. Dry weather continues for the remainder of the week and into the weekend with highs of 25-27C.