Hero Women's Indian Open

Round 3 - Rookie Camille Chevalier wins first LET title in India

Camille Chevalier with Mr Pawan Munjal, Chairman, Managing Director and CEO of Hero MotoCorp.

Ladies European Tour rookie Camille Chevalier produced a back-nine birdie blitz to become a first-time winner at the Hero Women’s Indian Open in Gurgaon.

The 23-year-old from Aix-en-Provence fired five birdies in her last eight holes on the Gary Player-designed Black Knight Golf Course at DLF Golf and Country Club for a final round of 67, to finish at 12-under-par, a stroke clear of the overnight leader Michele Thomson from Scotland.

“I’m really happy because I’m a rookie and I just won a tournament, so it’s awesome. This is my first win on tour so I’m really happy and I can’t wait to celebrate with my friends,” said Chevalier, who becomes the third successive first year professional to capture the title, following Emily Kristine Pedersen and Aditi Ashok, who both went on to be named Rookie of the Year.

Chevalier, whose previous best finishes on tour were tied 16th in the Lacoste Ladies Open de France and joint 17th in Thailand, now moves into first position on the LET Rookie Ranking and 17th on the Order of Merit.

Chevalier had started the final round three strokes behind Thomson and was six back after eight holes, at which point Thomson had built a five-stroke advantage. Thomson, however, then made back-to-back bogeys on 10 and 11, while Chevalier, who had played the front nine in level par, birdied 11 and 12.

There was a three-shot swing on the 14th, which Thomson double bogeyed after blocking her drive and Chevalier birdied to gain a share of the lead at 10-under.

Although Thomson made a gain on 16, Chevalier birdied the last two holes, denying Thomson on the 18th.

“I think making the final putt was the only time I felt nervous,” Chevalier said. “It was 65 metres and I hit a 58-degree wedge over the water. I wanted to hit the slope so it would roll back and luckily it did, to around a metre from the flag.

“I really didn’t get affected by anything, because I didn’t expect that I was going to win. I was more concerned about keeping my card for the LET next year, because I was border line, so I’m really happy to be keeping my card because I was so stressed about it.”

Thomson faced a much longer, downhill birdie putt, but her effort ended just beyond the hole. After following her course record 64 with a 71, she said: “Today I had a great start again and was trying to make the same score but the putter went cold on the back nine and I missed by one. There were a couple of mistakes on the back nine, but I can’t take anything away from Camille; she played awesome and congratulations to her. I will take back a lot of positives away, and will try and do one better next time.”

Anne Van Dam, Carlota Ciganda and Sarah Kemp shared third place, three strokes back. Van Dam was feeling slightly hard done by after her 67.

She said: “I had eight birdies and seven wedge shots ended inside a metre, so my birdies came quite easily and I’m very happy with that. I had three bogeys which were unfortunate and I lipped out on 16 and 18 from a short distance, so if I look at the leader board now it feels a bit tough, but I’ll feel confident heading to China.”

A stroke further back in a tie for sixth place, another LET rookie, Vani Kapoor from India, was delighted with her career best finish on her home course.

“I’ve been playing this tournament for the past seven years and have been waiting to have my week. I’d very happily take this. The final day didn’t go as I expected it to. It was the first time I was in contention, and I was a bit nervous as well, but I’m really happy with the way I handled myself on the course,” said Kapoor, who moved up to 73rd position on the Order of Merit heading to China.

In all, there were four Indian players who made the cut in the tournament, which is co-sanctioned between the LET and Women’s Professional Golf Association of India. The 2016 champion Aditi Ashok tied for 13th place and Pravani Urs was the leading amateur.

The LET now heads to China for the Sanya Ladies Open in Hainan.

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Round 2 - Michele Thomson breaks DLF course record

Beating the hell out of a golf ball is clearly a lot better than being a beat constable. Ask Michele Thomson.

It was ten years ago that Thomson first came to India as a prodigious amateur to play in Bangalore at the Emaar-MGF Masters. She finished T-64. A decade later, she is back here with on a sponsor’s invite from Hero, for the Hero Women’s Indian Open. “I requested an invite so I knew I was coming here after Abu Dhabi,” she said. Those 10 years in between are a story in itself – working for the Scottish police force, working in a pro shop and meeting Donald Trump.

The one-time prodigy, now 28, has seen it all. Literally. From losing her mother Eleanor at 11; to being a Scottish Amateur champion and making the Curtis Cup team, which she recalls was fun, because there were teammates to share the joy with.

She turned pro in 2009 and did begin fairly well if not spectacularly. However, after just ‘half a season’ or so, she gave it all up, because pro golf was “lonely”.

She joined the police and became a Beat Constable in Aberdeen. A little over two years later, she left the Police and worked in a pro shop and in the four-year period from 2009 to 2013, she did not touch golf clubs.

She worked at Trump’s course in Aberdeen. “I came out of the Police and started working in a pro shop and caddying and then decided that I needed to get back on tour. I started working at Donald Trump’s course in Aberdeen. I have met him, but only in passing.”

On Saturday, Thomson rewrote the course record at the Black Knight course by Gary Player at the DLF Golf and Country Club. In one single swoop she brought the record – shared by Patcharajutar Kongkraphan (in 2015) and Marianne Skarpnord (on Friday) down from 5-under to 8-under to open a handy gap at the top. Four birdies on either side of the course, which many consider as the toughest on the LET schedule, saw Thomson card 64 and she moved to 10-under for 36 holes.

“Many of the girls who were there when I left the Tour around 2009 are still around. It’s been fun to get back and they have all been so friendly,” said Thomson after her career performance. “I’m friends with Kelsey MacDonald, Kiran Matharu, Carly Booth.” Matharu, an English golfer of Indian origin, was also a prodigy once, and is now slowly finding her way back.

How did Thomson get back to golf ? After quitting the police, she worked in a Pro shop and as a caddie. One day, watching the Ladies European Tour golf on TV re-kindled her aspirations.

On her website, she says, “Being in the police is a tough job. You witness some difficult scenes – car accidents, bereavement, drunken disturbances. When you are standing outside a bar in the early hours of the morning, waiting for all the drunken people to leave and knowing that trouble could flare at any time, it puts a bad shot on a golf course into perspective. If I play a bad shot now, I know it is just that.”

Thomson came back as a full time pro in 2013. She played local events and some on the LET Access Series. By 2015, she had a win in Spain and was eighth on LET Access Series Money List. A year later, in 2016, she secured her full card for the LET in 2017, finishing fourth on the LET Access Series.

On what her team is, she said, “(former LPGA and LET player) Jo Morley is my caddie. Having the support of my dad, Graham, in the background and my coach Neil Marr and all my friends on tour. If you enjoy your time here and they have your back, it’s great.”

Slowly but steadily, the one-time prodigy, now 28, is once again finding her golfing mojo back. Sunday could be the crowning glory.

Round 1 - Marianne Skarpnord fires course record to take lead in India

Marianne Skarpnord fired a five-under 67 to open-up a one-stroke lead after the first round of the Hero Women’s Indian Open in Gurgaon on Friday.

The 31-year-old Norwegian sank a downhill birdie putt from eight metres on the tricky 17th hole at DLF Golf and Country Club to edge ahead of England’s Liz Young and Frenchwoman Camille Chevalier. A further six players share fourth place on 69, including India’s Vani Kapoor, who is playing on her home course.

Back in India after a six-year hiatus, Skarpnord enjoyed her first competitive round on the Gary Player-designed Black Knight Course. She carded three birdies and one bogey on the front nine, before adding three further birdies in her last five holes to equal the score recorded by Patcharajutar Kongraphan in the 2015 event.

“I’ve been hearing a lot from the girls and trying to paint a picture,” said the three-time LET winner, who has been thriving on a diet of pizzas at the official hotel this week. “I think a lot of the holes are really good but it’s just some of the greens are a bit crazy and you have to be so careful where you carry the ball, because if it hits the slope it can end up 20 metres from the pin. If you are short sided here, you are in big trouble.”

Another competitor making her course debut was LET rookie professional Chevalier, who managed six birdies. She said: “I played well today. My strategy was in place and I played to the right areas on every hole and putted well. On the back nine, I guess I got tired.”

Young also had a solid day on the greens, taking only 26 putts in a round of 68. She said: “I always use a local caddie when I come to India and once I again I did again this year. He was really good on the greens, telling me the pace and the direction, so we worked well together. The bad shots that I did hit just happened to be at the right time and I managed to scramble some pars out of that. It’s very different to the other courses that we play on the LET; you have to think your way around on every shot. There is no let up and you can make birdies and bogeys very easily.”

The Indian challenge is led by Vani Kapoor, a 23-year-old rookie on the Ladies European Tour (LET), who has won four events on the domestic tour, the Women’s Golf Association of India, this year, including the last one at DLF.

“I’m pretty satisfied because I had a dodgy start and I was two-over after three holes. I was really tense but then I had a birdie on the sixth and I made quite a few birdies after that. I had a birdie on the seventh and the ninth, so I found my momentum there. Then I managed to keep it going and not think about anything else,” said Kapoor, whose coach Anitya Chand is dividing his time between watching his charge and managing the event this week.

Defending champion Aditi Ashok is in a group sharing 10th place on two-under-par with compatriot Gaurika Bishnoi, the leader of the WGAI order of merit. The tournament is co-sanctioned between the LET and WGAI and many of those who have played on the domestic tour will be looking to follow in Aditi’s footsteps by making a mark in India’s biggest women’s golf tournament.

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