The Team Ireland quarter of Rebecca Coakley, Tara Delaney, Martina Gillen and Hazel Kavanagh travel to India this week for the Hero Honda Women’s Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon – looking to bounce back in this inaugural Ladies European Tour event.
The event is tri-sanctioned by the Ladies European Tour, the Ladies Asian Golf Tour (LAGT) and Women's Golf Association of India (WGAI) will carry a purse of US $ 300,000 (approximately €225,000), the highest ever for women's professional golf in India.
The 54-hole tournament which has been signed for three years, through until 2012 will have a minimum field of 106 competitors and comprise a minimum of 40 players from the LET, 40 from the LAGT and 12 from the WGAI, plus invitations.
The battle for the 2010 Henderson Money List will continue this week with Lee-Anne Pace of South Africa looking to consolidate her lead from the challenge of 73 time winner, Laura Davies of England.
A group of professional golfers of Indian and sub-continental origin will also get the chance to challenge the best of Europe and Asia.
Kiran Matharu [in photo above] is an English national of Indian origin and has played in India in the past. She will be joined by the likes of Sahra Hassan of Wales, who last year made her pro debut at the Indian Open.
Then there is Salimah Mussani of Canada, who has fought health conditions - Lupus - to stay on with professional golf. Also teeing up will be fellow Canadian of Indian origin Seema Sadekar who follows in the footsteps of her elder sister, Nisha, with whom she has set up a golf events management company and also an apparel business.
Sharmila Nicolett of India is another up and coming prospect at 19 years of age and joined the Ladies Asian Golf Tour last year when she turned professional.
