Fresh from their Asian Games exploits, Shannon Tan of Singapore and India’s Pranavi Urs find themselves going head-to-head once again at the US$500,000 Hero Women’s Indian Open (HWIO). At Aichi-Nagoya, Japan earlier this month, it was Pranavi who claimed a historic gold for India while Shannon settled for the bronze medal.
Related: Pranavi Urs eager to replicate Asian Games golden feat at HWIO
However, Shannon is the Hero Women’s Indian Open defending champion and Pranavi would be looking to bring the trophy back home, something no Indian golfer has been able to do since Aditi Ashok’s triumph in 2016.
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The tournament will be held from October 22-25, 2026 and standing in their way is not only the challenging DLF Golf and Country Club, but an elite field that is one of the strongest ever that has assembled at the HWIO.
The entries include as many as four past HWIO champions with six wins between them – Shannon (2025), Liz Young (2024), Camille Chevalier (2017) and Pornanong Phatlum (2008, 2009 and 2012), who returns here for the first time in 14 years.
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There are three past Ladies European Tour (LET) Order of Merit winners – Shannon (2025), Switzerland’s Chiara Tamburlini (2024) and Thailand’s Trichat Cheenglab (2023). Also in the field are four current season winners – Eleanor Givens of England (VP Bank Swiss Ladies Open), Thai golfer Aunchisa Utama (Dutch Ladies Open), Germany’s Leonie Harm (Amundi German Masters) and Agathe Laisné of France (Joburg Ladies Open and Ford Women’s NSW Open).
Amidst this international starcast, the Indians will also be trying to make their presence felt. Led by Pranavi, the home challenge includes two-time LET winner Diksha Dagar, who was a part of the women’s team that clinched silver at the recently concluded Asian Games in Japan, Hitaashee Bakshi, who finished third here last year, Avani Prashanth who was Tied 5th last year, apart from seasoned campaigners like Tvesa Malik, Vani Kapoor and Amandeep Drall.
Replicating success
Arriving in Gurugram as the 2025 LET order of merit champion, and aiming to defend the crown she won last season, the going could not have been better for the 22-year-old from Singapore. Add to this the runner-up finish in her maiden appearance here in 2024, and the youngster has a heady potion at her disposal.
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It is here that Shannon’s experience of negotiating this Gary Player design will be a vital factor in helping her to be watchful, yet confident going into the 18th edition of the HWIO.
Arriving on the back of another impactful season on the LET, dotted with top-5s and top-10s, Shannon is getting better at managing performance and expectations.
The words are measured and give an insight into the champion mindset. “I have been looking forward to this event pretty much all year, but I will approach it as I would any other event – focus on my processes and routines, and go about things as I would on a normal day,” Shanon said.
The HWIO isn’t any other tournament on Shannon’s growing resume; India’s national open is a vital cog in the reputation she has built in a short time.
Nostalgia in the air
Homecoming is sweet and when the return is as memorable as LPGA star Pornanong Phatlum’s, the air is heavy with nostalgia. Like a lot of international stars, Phatlum owes her rise on the global stage to India.
Over time, she bloomed into a global name as HWIO charted a path for the seasoned Thai star, and it will be a reunion of sorts for the three-time winner.
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It was HWIO that set it up for Phatlum with the maiden win in 2008 as she qualified for the LPGA soon after for an extended run in the United States.
As she found her way on this tough platform, Phatlum never let herself forget the impact of the win in India and returned the following year for a successful title defence in 2009.
Despite her busy schedule on the LPGA, Phatlum kept coming back to what seemed like an annual ‘pilgrimage’ to the land that played a big part in defining her as a player of immense talent.
It was on the back of strong finishes on the HWIO, and her growing stature on the LPGA that Phatlum teed off for the 2012 edition and was successful in bagging her third HWIO title.
Time has elapsed, and many more champions have joined the prestigious list of HWIO champions, but Phatlum’s three wins remain one of the defining statistics of the country’s national open and its storied history.
The eye for detail, and following the ‘process’ from tee to green as strong as ever, Phatlum will also need her ‘A’ game to counter the tests that await this week.
Rolling back time
Liz Young is in India on a mission, which is to trigger a turnaround in a long career dotted with laurels. Since her last win on the LET, the seasoned Briton has been close to the spotlight, but the last mile to the podium has eluded her.
There can be no better setting than the DLF Golf and Country Club to quench the thirst for Win No 3 on the LET. It was a week of gruelling golf at the 2024 HWIO, and Liz stood out with a brand of tenacity that saw her prevail over Shannon Tan by the slimmest of margins in the battle between experience and youth.
But as it is with top professionals, with the trophy in hand, Liz commenced the quest for the next one. She has had her moments, fleeting though, and this week could just be when Liz is able to put together four rounds of solid golf.
Armed with the memories of 2024, Liz also has strategy in place. “It (DLF) is one of the few courses you have to think carefully about every shot, put yourself in the right position and avoid getting too greedy.”
“I have great memories and I will stick to my game plan. It worked two years ago, so we will give it another shot this week,” said Liz.
Tournament highlights:
- 18th edition of the Hero Women’s Indian Open
- Course: DLF Golf and Country Club
- Prize Purse: US$500,000
- Field: 114 players
- Past Champions: 4 – Shannon Tan (2025), Liz Young (2024), Camille Chevalier (2017), Pornanong Phatlum (2008, 2009 and 2012)
- Current LET season winners: 4 (Aunchisa Utama, Leonie Harm, Eleanor Givens, Agathe Laisne)
- Order of Merit winners: 3 (Shannon Tan, Chiara Tamburlini and Trichat Cheenglab)
- Field nationalities: 32
- Indian players: 31 (including 4 amateurs)
- LET winners: 21
Groups to watch out for in Round 1 (Thursday, October 22):
- 7 am: Pranavi Urs (IND), Shannon Tan (SIN), Camille Chevalier (FRA)
- 11:10 am: Maha Haddioui (MAR), Trichat Cheenglab (THA), Sara Kouskova (CZE)
- 11:20 am: Diksha Dagar (IND), Agathe Laisne (FRA), Anna Morgan (USA)
- 11.40 am: Anna Zanusso (ITA), Pornanong Phatlum (THA), Liz Young (ENG)
- 11.50 am: Eleanor Givens (ENG), Hitaashee Bakshi (IND), Leonie Harm (GER)
- 12.00 pm: Chiara Tamburlini (SUI), Ridhima Dilawari (IND), Jess Baker (ENG)
