Augusta comes calling for national champ Avani Prashanth

By Rahul Banerji

National women’s amateur champion Avani Prashanth will be winging her way to Augusta National in March and is over the moon at the opportunity.

Last week, the 15-year-old received her official invitation from Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred S. Ridley and is already focussed on making the most of her appearance at one of the world’s most iconic courses.

The Class IX student is clear about her objectives, one of which is to be playing at the top tier of women’s professional golf.

“Once I am on the LPGA, it will be difficult to get opportunities to play Augusta since it only hosts a men’s professional event. So this will be a rare chance and I am really excited to go there,” Avani told teetimetales,com.

“Usually, the top amateurs get invited and I have not been playing that many tournaments except the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific where I finished 16^th and only the winner qualifies.

“So, it was a real nice surprise when I got the invitation.”

And how is she looking at the prestigious tournament, even though the official letter from ANGC only landed earlier this week.

Good preparation

“I’ve been playing well here and my putting has really come along. I recently had an 8-under at KGA (the Karnataka Golf Association course in Bangalore). And I needed 24 putts in that round.

“If I play the way I am now especially on the greens, I’m capable of winning the tournament,” she added matter-of-factly.

Avani has come along over the last year and is now one of the longest hitters in the women’s domestic game, carrying 260-plus yards with the driver.

“During the two lockdown spells, many golfers lost practice time, but Avani didn’t as she can practice at home,” the teenager’s father, Prashanth, said.

“She uses a launch monitor that gives all the information needed to keep track of your game.

“Since early 2020, has used the equipment to good advantage and now carries about 260 yards off the tee. With all the input from her monitor, Avani rarely repeats a mistake and hardly ever repeats it.  

“In that sense, she really lost very little time in terms of practice time.”

Dominant display

That preparation showed in Avani’s dominant performance at the 107^th All India Ladies Amateur Championship at the Noida Golf Course late last year where she won both the stroke-play and match-play sections of the tournament.

At the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, ANWA, Avani will be up against the world’s top amateurs as qualifying standards are high for the restricted field.

The competition too is a gruelling one, as the field gets just one practice round ahead of the ANWA proper.

According to Augusta National’s website, “The first 36 holes will be contested over two days on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., March 30 and 31, 2022.

“The entire field will then play Augusta National for an official practice round Friday, April 1. The final round will take place at Augusta National on Saturday, April 2 and will feature the top 30 competitors who made the cut.”

The prize, as it were, is immense as the winner gets a five-year exemption at Augusta National and also a spot at the 2022 Women’s US Open and British Open.

Also read: Avani Prashanth emerges national champion in close title battle