Pranavi Urs, basking in the adulation since becoming India’s first woman to win the Asian Games gold, will take that confidence and form into the $500,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open this week in her bid to win for the first time on the Ladies European Tour (LET).
The 23-year-old is determined to win the home LET event, being played at the DLF Golf and Country Club course, after finishing fourth last year. That no Indian has won the event since Aditi Ashok in 2016 is also a big motivation.
Among the Indians on the field, there will be high hopes on Diksha Dagar as well. The two-time winner on the LET has had an up and down season. After a good start, a knee injury had proved a setback. Boosted by the team silver medal in the Asian Games with Pranavi and Aditi, the tournament will be a perfect opportunity to push herself. Hitaashee Bakshi, who finished third last year, will also tee off on Thursday.
“It is always great to come back to DLF. This is one of my favourite events of the year. Even though it is not my home course, it is nice to be back playing in India,” the Mysore-born Pranavi told the media at the course on Tuesday.
Pranavi will be paired with last year’s champion Shannon Tan, who she beat at the Asian Games. Shannon finished with the bronze after losing a playoff for the second spot. “I’m playing with Shannon for the first couple of days. She called me two days ago, so I am excited. I just want to have fun, do my best and enjoy the week,” Pranavi said.
{{/usCountry}}Pranavi will be paired with last year’s champion Shannon Tan, who she beat at the Asian Games. Shannon finished with the bronze after losing a playoff for the second spot. “I’m playing with Shannon for the first couple of days. She called me two days ago, so I am excited. I just want to have fun, do my best and enjoy the week,” Pranavi said.
{{/usCountry}}The weight of expectations will be far higher this time after her Asian Games triumph. “It is nice to have extra support, but at the end of the day, I still have to go out and play my game,” she said. “I will try to shut out the noise and other people’s expectations…If I keep doing what I need to do, I think I will be fine.”
Diksha has endured a less than ideal season, although the Asian Games team silver has helped forget the physical pain. A knee injury suffered mid-year during training has required management.
“I started the year really well and had several top-10 finishes,” she told the media. “Unfortunately, there have been some setbacks, including knee pain. I have not been able to practice as much as I normally would. Winning a team medal had been a dream of mine, so it felt like ticking an important box.”
WGAI rewards medallists
Women’s Golf Association of India (WGAI) president, Kavita Singh, announced ₹10 lakh cash award for Pranavi’s Asiad victory. It will also give ₹3 lakh each of the three members in the silver medal-winning team. The WGAI president also announced plans to select promising young players and provide them all sorts of support, including diet, mental coaching, fitness and training support at the DLF Academy.