October 12, 2015: It is a season of teenage bloom for Indian golf. Close on the heels of Aditi Ashok’s recent heroics, Gaurika Bishnoi is all set to woo attention when she fires off the tee box this week in the Faldo Series India Girls’ Championship 2015.
The young golfer is the defending champion. When the event kicks off at the prestigious Royal Calcutta Golf Club, Bishnoi will be among the favourites to lift the trophy again. The event is the 12th leg of a record busting 2015-2016 Faldo Series Asia season.
The 17 year old was a member of the Indian team at the Asia Pacific Women’s Team Invitational for the Queen Sirikit Cup earlier this year. Gaurika has been doing well this season, rising to fourth on the Indian Golf Union’s [IGU] Ladies Merit List and Junior Girls Merit standings.
The India Girls Championship is a 54 hole competition, with the top performers offered a spot at the 10th anniversary Faldo Series Asia Grand Final next March, to be hosted by Sir Nick Faldo.
Aditi will be back from her LPGA debut in Malaysia, but has withdrawn from the event citing her school related commitments. In a way this offers respite to the young talented girls competing for the few spots that will be available for the prestigious Faldo event next year.
Among those contesting for honours are Bishnoi’s Queen Sirikit Cup team-mates Ridhima Dilawari, Nishtha Madan and Tvesa Malik. Tvesa finished sixth at the 2014-15 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, emerging as the best Indian golfer in the under-21 category.
“Last year there were 65 girls and 95 boys who participated. I believe similar numbers are forecast for this year, which is a big compliment to the Indian Golf Union for all the hard work they put into junior development,” said an obviously impressed Faldo. The veteran golfer was full of praise for the visionary work being done by IGU at the grassroots level.
“In the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final in recent years we’ve seen some outstanding Indian boys succeed with Rashid Khan and Abhijit Chadha both claiming victory,” added Faldo. “It would be wonderful if the 10th Faldo Series Asia Grand Final provided us with our very first Indian victory among the girls.”
