Cowan scores maiden win as Indians wrap up strong HWIO run

By Rahul Banerji

Germany’s Olivia Cowan scored a career maiden win, taking a three-shot victory over second-place finishers Amandeep Drall and Caroline Hedwall at the Hero Women’s Indian Open on Sunday.

Cowan, who turned professional in 2017 and was making her 96^th career start Ladies European Tour at the DLF Golf and Country Club, also picked up a cool $60,000 from the $400,000 prize purse.

Drall (67-72-67-72) was in a three-way tie for the lead with Cowan and 2011 winner Hedwall of Sweden (68-71-68-71) till the 14^th hole where she would drop a shot.

Two birdies over the final four holes all but sealed the deal for Cowan (71-71-65-68), who has come agonisingly close to winning in the past, only to falter at the very end.

“Last year in Saudi Arabia I was leading the Armco event by two shots on the 18^th hole – the same situation as today,” Cowan recalled later.

“I made a wrong decision that day when I should have played it sensible so I know golf can sometimes be a very mean game.

“But the round on Saturday (a seven-under 65) kind of set the tone for me today and though I was nervous almost all the way through the 18^th hole, I knew what I needed to do.

“I have come close a few times, but I am so happy to get over the line.

Memorable moment

“This is going to be one of my most memorable moments and I will come back again to try and win this trophy again.”

Cowan’s previous two visits to India produced finishes of T19 in 2017 and T9 in 2018 and this year her best on the Tour was a tied fourth in her home event, the Amundi German Masters.

Drall’s tied second place was the best performance by an Indian at the Hero Women’s Indian Open since Aditi Ashok’s victory in 2016. It was also her best finish on the LET and fetched her a tidy $30,000.

The Kapurthala golfer was in contention till late in her round when she dropped a shot on the par-5 14^th and fell back from the two Europeans.

“Today, I wouldn’t say it was a bad round. Level par on this DLF course is always a very good score especially when I was playing in the leader group for the very first time.

Good showing

“My front nine was better and on the back nine, I missed two short birdie putts. Overall I am very happy with the way I played over the four days.

“I felt the putts in 12th and 13th, the first from seven feet and the other from nine feet were crucial.

“If they had fallen, I would have got the momentum. But overall, I am happy the way I held out and this should improve my ranking and get me more events.””

Ana Pelaez Trivino of Spain was sole fourth on seven-under 281 with rounds of 69, 76, 67 and 70.

Taking sole fourth place was LPGA regular Aditi Ashok (70-71-69-71) with a seven-under par 281 aggregate while Gaurika Bishnoi (71-68-72-73) was tied for sixth place on four-under 284.

“Not a bad result overall though I was hoping for better today. This is not an easy course to tackle and to have finished on seven-under. The 18^th hole bogey was a bit of a letdown but I have to say this has been a satisfactory performance overall.”

Gaurika Bishnoi (71-68-72-73) and Frenchwoman Anais Meysonnier (66-78-68-72) shared sixth place on four-under 284 and Vani Kapoor (72-71-73-69) was the fourth Indian in the top 10, sharing eighth place with a three-under 285.

Both Vani and Gaurika are regulars at the DLF Golf and Country Club, venue of the Hero Women’s Indian Open.

Amateur winner

Avani Prahanth won the amateurs’ plate with a one-under 287 aggregate (75-76-69-67) ahead of US-based Anika Varma (five-over 293) and Mysore’s Vidhatri Urs (10-over 298).

In 2019 when the HWIO was last played, Anika was the best-placed Indian, taking a share of fifth place. 

The Bangalore-based teenager fired a second successive sub-70 round, a five-under 67 on Sunday which was also the joint-best score of the day. On Saturday, she had carded a three-under-par 69.

Avani’s four-day aggregate gave her a share of 12^th place overall alongside six other seasoned professionals. 

Avani, who is headed to Thailand for the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific (WAAP) in a fortnight’s time was pleased with her display. 

“I was waiting to play a round like the one I did today. The greens were really fast but I still managed to get good putts in. I think my stroking improved over the last few days.” 

Proud achievement

Avani, a double gold medallist at the National Games in Ahmedabad winning both the individual and team titles added that consecutive sub-par rounds at the DLF’s Gary Player layout was an achievement she was proud of. 

In March this year, the teenager played the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur on a special invitation and finished tied for 21^st place. 

Amongst the rest of the Indian professionals, Hitaashee Bakshi (73-74-71-71) and Nishtha Madan (72-73-71-73) were tied for 20^th place on one-over 289 and Neha Tripathi (74-72-74-72) was T27 on four-over 292.

Diksha Dagar, Ridhima Dilawari Asmitha Sathish and Seher Atwal finished further down the order.

Also read: Amandeep Drall holds sole HWIO lead going into final day