Seher Atwal earns Ladies European Tour status at Final Q-School

 

Seher Atwal was the lone Indian from a group of eight to earn status on the Ladies European Tour 2023 season at the Final Qualifier of the Tour’s Qualifying School in Cartagena in Spain last week. The event was played over 90 holes at the La Manga Club Resort.

Seher totalled one-over-par 362 to finish tied for 37th place with rounds of 70-73-69-75-75 to earn a Category 16 card for the 2023 season. The 23-year-old ended four shots shy of earning full status on the LET and joins Diksha Dagar, Vani Kapoor, Amandeep Drall and Aditi Ashok who hold either full or partial status on the prestigious women’s professional tour.

Seher won her maiden professional title on the domestic Hero Women’s Pro Golf Tour in Pune last February. She is the niece of Arjun Atwal, currently the only Indian playing on the PGA Tour in the United States.

The seven others who missed out at Cartagena after falling short at the 72-hole mark in the five-day Final Q School were Ridhima Dilawari (74-77-73-72, T-91), Sneha Singh (71-71-76-79, T-98), Sharmila Nicollet (73-74-79-73, T-109), Tvesa Malik (78-72-78-72, T-114), Asmitha Sathish (76-76-75-74, T-121), Hitaashee Bakshi (72-75-76-80, T-130) and Neha Tripathi (71-76-79-77, T-130).

For the first time, the LET had held a pre-Qualifier for Asia at the Classic Golf and Country Club in October this year that was won by former national champion Sneha Singh of Hyderabad. Seher Atwal, Hitaashee Bakshi and Neha Tripathi were the other Indians earning a chance to play the Final Qualifier in Spain.

At La Manga, meanwhile, Germans Polly Mack and Alexandra Fosterling finished joint winners to lead a group of 24 (top-20 and ties) to full status (Category 12) in the LET’s 2023 season. A further 28 earned Category 16 membership.

Expanded LET schedule

For its 2023 season, the LET on Wednesday announced a record-setting 35 million Euro prize fund for the 30 events that are to be played across 21 countries. The schedule includes the Hero Women’s Indian Open to be played at Gurgaon’s DLF Golf and Country Club.

In a statement on its website, the LET quoted its chief executive, Alexandra Armas as having said, “Thanks to our partners, promoters, host venues and fans,

2023 is going to be an incredibly exciting year for the LET. This year’s Race to Costa del Sol showcased the outstanding skill of our players and there will be even higher profile opportunities for our role models to shine next year, with more total prize money than at any time in our history.

“The LET has grown rapidly over the last three years and we have been oversubscribed for our recent Q-School, demonstrating the record level of interest. The LET now presents a platform for women to build a successful career and achieve their dreams in professional golf. We will continue to work hard to elevate the sport in Europe and around the world.”

The 2023 season will open in Kenya, move to Morocco, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, and finally Europe. India figures at the tail end of the schedule before the last of the Aramco Series and the Costa Del Sol Open in Spain.