Liz Young wins Hero Women’s Indian Open, Mannat Brar is top home finisher
Englishwoman Liz Young saw off a series of challenges in the final round on Sunday to win the 16th Hero Women’s Indian Open at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon on the very last hole.
- Oct 27, 2024,
- Updated Oct 27, 2024 7:09 PM IST
England’s Liz Young emerged winner of the $400,000 16th Hero Women’s Indian Open by a single shot on a drama-filled Sunday at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon to end her birthday week on an ideal note.
A 2 under par 286 helped the 42-year-old from Southampton add her name to a list of British winners of the tournament that includes England’s Laura Davies (2010) and Becky Morgan (2018) of Wales who are also the two past champions older than the 2024 winner.
Young’s only other LET title came at the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open after 13 winless years on the tour since turning professional in 2009. The Hero Women’s Indian Open was her 248th start on the LET. A third place at the Dutch Ladies Open in July was her previous best finish of the season.
“It took 13 years to win my first title and what saw me through that time was the fact that I played consistently good golf,” Young said at her post-win press conference. “I was able to keep my card every year and never needed to go back to play the qualifiers. Wins don’t happen that often in professional golf so this one is as important as the Swiss title.”
Playing in the final group on Sunday with joint leaders Manon De Roey of Belgium and fellow-Englishwoman Alice Hewson, Young (74-73-67-72) fought off challenges through the day from her partners and also from Morocco’s Maha Haddioui before wrapping the win on the 72nd and final hole of the tournament.
At the 18th tee, Young was a shot ahead of De Roey and only needed to stay that one stroke ahead to seal victory. Hewson finished with a triple-bogey eight to fall out of the top 10 while De Roey carded a bogey seven to join Singapore’s Shannon Tan, Frenchwoman Agathe Sauzon and Momoka Kobori of New Zealand in tied second place on 1 under 287.
In all, Young had one birdie and one dropped shot that came from her finding water with her second shot on hole 18 on Sunday. She topped a short list of just five players to break par for the tournament and earned her a winner’s cheque of $60,000 and 12th place on the LET’s Order of Merit.
“I think I'll take a couple of days to sink in but it was it was a close battle all day,” Young said. “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 and managed to make it interesting on the last for everybody.”
On dunking her ball in the water hazard on hole 18, Young added, “It was a good shot in after being in 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.”
Mannat Brar (76-75-71-70) had the double honour of taking top amateur status and also best-finishing Indian in tied 11th place on 4 over par 282. Professionals Pranavi Urs and Hitaashee Bakshi were tied for 15th two strokes behind the 17-year-old, Tvesa Malik was T26 on 9 over 291 and Ridhima Dilawari shared 31st place on 10 over 292.
“The last two days were a mix for me,” Mannat said after her sound. “I wasn’t at my best with the irons, but my short game made up for it. Today and yesterday, though, I 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.
“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, consistently working 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.”
Perrine Delacour of France had the only error-free card on Sunday, a 5 under 67 that contained three birdies and an eagle. In total, there were 15 sub-par rounds on Sunday, the most in the four days of competition at the only KET event in South Asia.
England’s Liz Young emerged winner of the $400,000 16th Hero Women’s Indian Open by a single shot on a drama-filled Sunday at the DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon to end her birthday week on an ideal note.
A 2 under par 286 helped the 42-year-old from Southampton add her name to a list of British winners of the tournament that includes England’s Laura Davies (2010) and Becky Morgan (2018) of Wales who are also the two past champions older than the 2024 winner.
Young’s only other LET title came at the VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open after 13 winless years on the tour since turning professional in 2009. The Hero Women’s Indian Open was her 248th start on the LET. A third place at the Dutch Ladies Open in July was her previous best finish of the season.
“It took 13 years to win my first title and what saw me through that time was the fact that I played consistently good golf,” Young said at her post-win press conference. “I was able to keep my card every year and never needed to go back to play the qualifiers. Wins don’t happen that often in professional golf so this one is as important as the Swiss title.”
Playing in the final group on Sunday with joint leaders Manon De Roey of Belgium and fellow-Englishwoman Alice Hewson, Young (74-73-67-72) fought off challenges through the day from her partners and also from Morocco’s Maha Haddioui before wrapping the win on the 72nd and final hole of the tournament.
At the 18th tee, Young was a shot ahead of De Roey and only needed to stay that one stroke ahead to seal victory. Hewson finished with a triple-bogey eight to fall out of the top 10 while De Roey carded a bogey seven to join Singapore’s Shannon Tan, Frenchwoman Agathe Sauzon and Momoka Kobori of New Zealand in tied second place on 1 under 287.
In all, Young had one birdie and one dropped shot that came from her finding water with her second shot on hole 18 on Sunday. She topped a short list of just five players to break par for the tournament and earned her a winner’s cheque of $60,000 and 12th place on the LET’s Order of Merit.
“I think I'll take a couple of days to sink in but it was it was a close battle all day,” Young said. “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 and managed to make it interesting on the last for everybody.”
On dunking her ball in the water hazard on hole 18, Young added, “It was a good shot in after being in 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.”
Mannat Brar (76-75-71-70) had the double honour of taking top amateur status and also best-finishing Indian in tied 11th place on 4 over par 282. Professionals Pranavi Urs and Hitaashee Bakshi were tied for 15th two strokes behind the 17-year-old, Tvesa Malik was T26 on 9 over 291 and Ridhima Dilawari shared 31st place on 10 over 292.
“The last two days were a mix for me,” Mannat said after her sound. “I wasn’t at my best with the irons, but my short game made up for it. Today and yesterday, though, I 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.
“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, consistently working 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.”
Perrine Delacour of France had the only error-free card on Sunday, a 5 under 67 that contained three birdies and an eagle. In total, there were 15 sub-par rounds on Sunday, the most in the four days of competition at the only KET event in South Asia.