Hero Women’s Indian Open winner Liz Young of England with the tournament trophy at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon on Sunday. Image courtesy LET,
By Rahul Banerji
Liz Young celebrated a belated birthday by winning her second Ladies European Tour title, the $400,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open, by a stroke at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon on Sunday.
Young, 42, extended her unbroken run of success at India’s national women’s open to nine cuts made, shooting a level par 72 to total 2-under 286 ahead of a four-way tie for second place.
Mannat Brar (76-75-71-70) took top amateur honours and was also the best-finishing Indian in tied 11th on 4 over 292, with professionals Pranavi Urs and Hitaashee Bakshi tied for 15th two strokes behind the teenager on 6 over 294.
Behind them, Tvesa Malik shared 26th place on 9 over 297 while Ridhima Dilawari and Vani Kapoor were tied for 31st on 10 over 298s.
“The last two days were a mix for me,” Mannat, 17, said after her round on Sunday.
“I wasn’t at my best with the irons, but my short game made up for that. The last two days though, really started hitting my irons well and had a great feel for the greens.
“I could read the slopes and use them to my advantage, which helped me perform well over the four days.
Career highlight
“I’ve had a strong amateur career so far, being ranked as India’s top player for quite a while. I’ve represented India internationally, and this event was another highlight — I’m genuinely proud and grateful to be in this position.
“Looking ahead, I’ll be focusing on refining my technique and work to improve without comparing myself to others.
“As for turning pro, we’ll see how things unfold. For now, I’m set to play in the Australian Masters in early January, and after that, I have board exams to prepare for, which is also a major priority.”
Young’s birthday delight will be doubled as her daughter’s birthday comes around in two weeks as well.
The 42-year-old from Southampton totalled 2 under par 286 (74-73-67-72), adding her name to a list of British winners here that includes England’s Dame Laura Davies (2010) and Becky Morgan (2018) of Wales.
Young’s other title on the Ladies European Tour came at the 2023 VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open after 13 winless years since turning professional in 2009.
The Gurgaon success came in her 248th start on the LET with a third place at the Dutch Ladies Open in July her previous best finish of the season.
Young fought off all challenges from Manon De Roey (74-74-65-74) of Belgium, compatriot Alice Hewson (72-70-71-79) and Morocco’s Maha Haddioui (71-77-71-69).
Missed opportunity
At the 18th tee, Young was a shot ahead of De Roey and found the water, but recovered for a bogey. Needing par to force a playoff, the Belgian chipped to the edge of the green on her fourth shot and two-putted, while Hewson had a triple-bogey eight to fall out of the top 10.
De Roey’s bogey dropped her into shared second with Singapore’s Shannon Tan, Frenchwoman Agathe Sauzon and Momoka Kobori of New Zealand at 1 under 287 though she gained ground on LET Order of Merit leader Chiara Tamburlini of Switzerland, who missed the cut here.
Only five players broke par for their final score in a week the golf course tested player to the fullest.
Young received the winner’s cheque of $60,000 from Hero MotoCorp executive chairman Dr. Pawan Munjal and is now 12th on the LET’s Order of Merit
Speaking to the media after the win, a beaming Young said, “I think I’ll take a couple of days to sink in but it was it was a close battle all day.
“Me and Manon are good friends. She was playing well all day and I just happened to hole a good birdie putt on 15 that tied us up for the lead and I managed to make it interesting on the last for everybody.”
Memory bank
On dunking her second shot on hole 18, Young added, “It was a good shot but went into the water. And that putt was a very similar putt to the one I held in Switzerland in my first win, so I was just thinking of that.
“The week has been great. I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been a really tough challenge mentally and physically. Especially today, it was really hot out there and humid.
“Every shot out there, you’ve got to think your way around. Every putt, you can’t let up on. So it’s very mentally and physically exhausting, but I feel I did a good job with it this week.
“I’ve always played well here. This type of golf course suits my game. Every year it’s always on my mind that this is a good one for me to have a go at, but this year it’s finally come true.”
Frenchwoman Perrine Delacour had the day’s only bogey-free card, a 5 under 67 studded with three birdies and an eagle that took her into a share of sixth place.
Sunday was witness to 15 sub-par rounds, the most in the four days of competition at the testing DLF track.
Also read: De Roey, Hewson lead at HWIO as home challenge fades
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