Aditi Ashok and Mr. Pawan Munjal-CEO, MD & Chairperson of Hero MotoCorp
Aditi Ashok receiving the trophy from Mr. Pawan Munjal-CEO, MD & Chairperson of Hero MotoCorp
Hero Women's Indian Open 2016 winner Aditi Ashok
· Brittany Lincicome and Belen Mozo finished runners-up
· Diksha Dagar finished as the best Indian amateur
Gurgaon, November 14 2016 : Aditi Ashok carded an even par 72 on the final day to become the first Indian to lift the Hero Women’s Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club here on Sunday. On a day that saw leads shift hands on multiple occasions, Aditi held her nerve to get the better of American Brittany Lincicome and Spain’s Belen Mozo. Brittany and Belen finished tied second with identical totals of 2 under 214 after 54 holes, one adrift of the winner. Aditi finished with a total score 3 under 213 to win a prize purse of US $ 60,000, propelling her to the top spot in the Rookie of the Year rankings.
Overnight leader Aditi Ashok had a two shot lead coming into the final round. She played an even par front nine and looked well on course to claim her maiden title on the Ladies European Tour. However, Belen Mozo continued to apply pressure and carded two birdies while dropping a single shot on her front nine. Brittany, who has two major titles to her credit, too had a good day and finished with a total of 2 under 214 to give herself a realistic chance of winning the title. With just two holes to play, both Aditi and Belen bogeyed the 17th hole to tie with Brittany for the top spot. On the decisive 18th hole, Aditi hit an incredible approach shot which landed and rolled back to stop one and a half feet from the pin. Belen, on the other hand had to settle for a par. Aditi took a moment to gather herself and calmly holed the ball to get a rousing reception from the large crowd present there to cheer her.
Talking to the media, she said “I have had some good finishes in the Indian Open but to get the job done finally feels really good and especially finishing victorious in front of my home crowd is a really good feeling.” Aditi has had a good year on the LET but could not win a title. “It feels good to win the championship, I was playing good all year, I had four top 10 finishes. I had a good front nine but made a few mistakes on the back nine, but overall it was a good week”, Aditi said.
A win here also helped her take the top spot in the Rookie of the Year rankings and she will look to stay on top with just two events left in the calendar year. She said, “As far as the Rookie of the Year goes, I still have a couple of weeks of golf tournaments coming up, I shall be playing in Qatar and Dubai. So I am hoping to put up a good show there to have the Rookie of the Year award too under my belt.”
Thai player Kanphanitnan Muangkhumsakul took the fourth spot with a total score of 215, followed by English golfer Florentyna Parker at 216 to complete the top five positions. Among other notable golfers, Emily Pedersen and Kiran Matharu finished tied 9th while Christine Wolf, who had remained in contention for the last two days, had to settle for the tied 11th position. Local professional Vani Kapoor had an off day in the park and carded 6 over 78 to settle for tied 28th position. Diksha Dagar finished as the best amateur in the tournament with a total score of 229.
About Women’s Golf Association of India:
The Women Golf Association of India is a non-profit organization whose objective is to uplift women through the medium of sport. 'Empowerment of women through sport', is the motto for the WGAI Tour, which was established in 2006. The Women’s Indian Open was first held in 2007.
About Hero MotoCorp Ltd.
For the past 15 consecutive years, the New Delhi (India)-headquartered Hero MotoCorp has remained the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer in terms of unit volumes sold by a single company in a calendar year. The company sold over 6.63 million two-wheelers last financial year (FY 2015-16). Hero MotoCorp has been associated with various disciplines of sports including golf, cricket, field hockey and soccer for over two decades now. Hero MotoCorp is the Title Sponsor of the Hero World Challenge – a Tiger Woods Invitational and PGA-sanctioned event, which features the 18 top golfers in the world. Fourteen-time major winner Tiger Woods is Hero's Global Corporate Partner. In India, the company has been hosting the men’s and women’s Hero Indian Open since 2006 and 2010 respectively.
About DLF5
DLF5 is a state-of-the-art, integrated development offering high-end residential, commercial, retail and community facilities. More than just bricks and mortar, DLF5 aims to provide a world-class lifestyle in Gurgaon, building a new Indian utopia with an unmatched living experience of global standards for their residents. The DLF5 community features numerous choices to live, work and play luxuriously. Residential lifestyle reaches new heights with renowned luxury apartment communities such as The Aralias, The Magnolias, The Belaire and DLF Park Place, amongst others. These homes are occupied by high profile, culturally diverse and discerning residents who have chosen DLF5 as their home and workplace.