Ladies European Tour Order of Merit leader, Chiara Tamburlini of Switzerland, has confirmed her participation at the $400,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open 2024, which will be played from October 24 to 27 at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon.
The sole LET tournament in South Asia will mark the professional debut of the talented Avani Prashanth, who will be playing on a special invitation after several previous appearances at the Indian Open as an amateur including a fifth-place finish in 2023.
The strong international field that includes past champions Christine Wolf (2019), Camille Chevalier (2017) and Caroline Hedwall (2011).will face a strong Indian challenge from the likes of two-time Olympian Diksha Dagar, who finished third last year, and Gaurika Bishnoi, who was eighth.
The international field will also have 2023 LET merit list topper Trichat Cheenglab of Thailand, and 2010 Order of Merit winner Lee Anne Pace of South Africa, a statement from the organisers said.
Swiss golfer Tamburlini, in her rookie year on the LET is already a two-time winner having pocketed the Joburg Ladies Open in April and the Lacoste Open de France just two weeks ago. Most recently, the teenager showcased her leadership skills in guiding her team to victory at the Aramco Team Series Shenzhen.
Other winners from the current LET season who will be in the field include Englishwomen Alice Hewson (VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open winner) and Amy Taylor (Ladies Italian Open victor), France’s Perrine Delacour (Dormy Open Helsingborg), Belgium’s Manon De Roey (Investec SA Women's Open champion), and Shannon Tan from Singapore (Magical Kenya Ladies Open champion).
Seven-time LET winner Caroline Hedwall, whose last title came at the 2022 Andalucia Costa Del Sol in Spain, won the Hero Women’s Indian Open in 2011, her rookie year. She has since then finished runner-up three times – in 2012 (to Pornanong Phatlum), 2018 (tied with three others) and 2022 (tied second with India’s Amandeep Drall).
Hedwall, who has also played the Solheim Cup, calls the Hero Women’s Indian Open one of her favourite events as it was one of her four wins as a rookie in 2011. Others in the field who have finished runners-up in the past are Sara Kjellker (2023), Drall (2022), Marianne Skarpnord (2019), Michelle Thompson (2017) and Hannah Burke (2014).