Wet conditions set to add to players’ challenge at Women’s Indian Open golf
Chiara Tamburlini’s relatively successful 2024 hit the brakes in the worst way possible at the Hero Women’s Indian Open last year when the 25-year-old missed the cut. Coming into the tournament with three titles under her belt, it was a rude reminder of the fickle nature of the sport.
The Swiss pro is keen to put things right when this year’s edition tees off at the DLF Golf and Country Club here on Thursday. Currently seventh on the Ladies European Tour (LET), Chiara welcomed the cloud cover despite the fact that the impending forecast of continued rain might make playing tougher. On cue, practice on the course was called off due to a sudden downpour and lightning concerns.
“The course is a bit different from last year. I feel it’s also different because there was a lot of pollution last year and I struggled a lot; it’s much better this time. But it’s still golf shots. The ball might not fly as far, you might need an extra rain jacket but we’ve done it so many times already, nothing really changes. You’re still fighting the same way; you can still make birdies. Of course, it’s in a way a bit difficult but I think that’s also important to acknowledge, you still want to have your high standards,” she declared in an interaction on Tuesday.
Her competition will include the LET OeM leader Mimi Rhodes in her maiden visit to India and defending champion Liz Young, making her 10th appearance in the event. “The course is very nice and every hole is different, so it’s a nice challenge that I am looking forward to,” the 22-year old Mimi said.
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Young admitted it was very different from last year. “It’s been a challenging year for me but I am happy to be out there. The thing about this course is it is mentally and physically challenging every day; there can be no let up or taking it easy at any point.” she added.
The rain, Chiara admitted, will make it tougher. “You always feel like you need an extra hand when the rain starts but that’s where the caddy comes in handy as well. But we’ve had horrible weather on the tour, especially at the beginning of the year, so we’ve been having some good experience with the rain,” she laughed, adding that the difference between winning or losing might just come down to the tee shots on every hole each day.
Published on Oct 07, 2025