Englands Liz Wins Hero Women Indian Open
England’s Liz Young claimed victory at the 16th Hero Women’s Indian Open, edging out a tough field and navigating a challenging course to win by one shot at DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram on Sunday. The 42-year-old from Southampton secured her second Ladies European Tour (LET) title with a final score of 2-under par 286, making her the second English player, after Laura Davies in 2010, to capture the Indian Open title.
Young, in her 15th year as a pro, showed consistent progress throughout the tournament, starting at T17, moving to T12 midway, and finishing Saturday’s round in solo third, just one shot behind leaders Manon De Roey of Belgium and fellow English player Alice Hewson. In a tense final round, Young matched De Roey stroke for stroke, pulling level with a birdie on the 15th hole and taking the lead after De Roey bogeyed the 17th.
The final hole added to the drama when Young’s third shot on the par-5 18th found the water. With the title on the line, she executed a precise wedge shot from the drop zone and holed the putt for bogey, sealing her win. De Roey had a chance to force a playoff but couldn’t recover from an overhit chip, ultimately bogeying the hole to finish in a four-way tie for second.
Joining De Roey at one-under were Singapore’s Shannon Tan, France’s Agathe Sauzon, and New Zealand’s Momoka Kobori. Only five players managed a sub-par aggregate, with Young’s 2-under being the highest winning total since Yani Tseng’s one-under in 2007.
“On this course, making pars is as important as birdies, which I focused on over the last two days,” Young said after a steady final round of even-par 72. Her third-round performance of 5-under par, featuring eight birdies, had vaulted her into contention.
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Reflecting on the course, she added, “I don’t think I made bogeys on bad shots. It’s that kind of course.”
Among the Indian players, amateur Mannat Brar finished as the top contender at T11 with a 4-over par. Pranavi Urs and Hitaashee Bakshi followed at T15 with 6-over, while Diksha Dagar ended at T38 after a challenging third-round 80, finishing with a 12-over total.
